


The Life They Deserve

by loler182



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Comfort/Angst, F/M, Family Fluff, Multi, Romantic Fluff, post-LR
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2020-01-20 16:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 64,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18528895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loler182/pseuds/loler182
Summary: After centuries of being apart, they've finally found each other in the new world. Now, there were no more fal'Cies or gods to threaten them. But now they would face a new challenge altogether - raising a family. Mostly fluff with some angst/comfort on the side.





	1. Reminiscing

As the car drove along the countryside, the rosette sat in her seat, her eyes looking out towards the greenery, deep in thought.

“Hey, honey. Light? Claire?”.

The silver haired man’s voice had pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked towards the man in the driver’s seat, furrowing her eyebrows into a confused expression. “Hmm?” she hummed as she leaned her head against the car window.

“Huh, so that got you to look at me” the silver haired man said as he gave a sly smirk.

“Hmph, I’m just not used to you calling me by that name yet” she shrugged with a slight frown to her face.

In this new world her name was Claire. The Lightning of the Crystal Age was long gone, replaced with her true identity. Yet for some reason the silver-haired man sitting beside her still insisted on calling her Light.

 “You’ve been staring into space for a long time now without saying a single word, Light. Is something bothering you?” the silverine asked with a hint of concern to his voice. Light looked back at the man, a small smile forming on her lips. Deep inside she thought it was sweet that he was always so concerned about her. “Nothing’s wrong. Really, Hope. You’ve got nothing to worry about,”.

 Hope however was still not convinced, furrowing his eyebrows into a look of suspicion. “You looked like you had something on your mind though”. 

“I was just thinking,”.

“About what?,”.

It seemed that Hope’s usual inquisitive behaviour was beginning to kick in. A sigh escaped from her lips. She began to lie deeper into her seat as her eyes slowly closed.

“About all the things that have happened. We’ve been through a lot, Hope. I was just thinking back and wondering how we managed to even get this far”.

A smile crept onto Hope’s face, probably from the deep satisfaction of knowing how his life had turned out thus far.

“Yeah, it has been quite a journey, hasn’t it Light?” he replied with a smile.

Their lives had changed ever since they came into the new world. The memory of that summer afternoon replayed inside her mind. Her journey in this new world all began once she took her first step out of that train and into the countryside. She could still remember every little detail of that moment.

The gentle breeze of the wind blowing her coat, the creek of the train. But most of all, she remembered seeing him for the first time. Just across the road stood a tall man adorning a vest and tie, with the same silver hair as the boy she had sworn to protect years ago.

His lips curved into a smile, one she hadn’t seen since he was just a teenager, as his silver hair swayed in the gentle breeze. They both stood there on the opposite ends of that road, taking in the sight of each other. They had fought for centuries, and this was the moment that they had yearned for so long.

Someone had taken that first step, and before they knew it they both had fallen into each other’s arms. He couldn’t believe it. She was finally here, right in his arms. No more phantoms, no more dreams. This was all real.

“Light…,”.

It was the only word that he could muster, still in awe of seeing the woman he loved the most for centuries right in front of him. He embraced her tightly, never wanting their intimate moment to end. The sweet smell of roses penetrated his nostrils, bringing him a sense of joy and relief.

Lightning ran her fingers through Hope’s soft silver hair, causing Hope to blush as his lips pursed into a satisfied smile. A few seconds of peaceful silence went on, both of them embracing the other tightly, never wanting to let the other go.

“You’ve grown taller, Hope” were the first words that she’d uttered in their heartfelt reunion. Hope couldn’t help but chuckle at her words.

“After all this time and that’s what you noticed about me?” Hope said jokingly. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Lightning let go of her embrace and cheekily knocked her finger on Hope’s forehead, just as she did all those centuries ago when they first embraced each other in Palumpolum. Although this time however, she’d be the shorter one compared to Hope, and perhaps the younger one. It seems that Hope was finally back to his 24 year old form, making him older than her, oddly enough. She had only seen this version of him in her visions in Valhalla, but to see him like this, tangibly, right in front of her - she somehow felt drawn to him.

This time, their reunion would no longer be held back by any god or fal’Cie. They no longer had to worry about the world ending, because the world that they had made for themselves after centuries of struggle was theirs. No longer would a fal’Cie curse them to do their bidding for all eternity and no gods to twist their fates. This time, they had each other, and nothing else would ever come between them.


	2. The Moment Love Arrived

The concept of romance was foreign to Lightning. For all her life, she'd never had any thoughts about being in a romantic relationship with anyone. Back during her days as a soldier in the Guardian Corps, she would always turn down anyone that even dared to make a move on her.

All her life, her one goal was to keep Serah safe. But now that her beloved sister had married Snow, she no longer had to protect Serah as strongly as she used to. Lightning was never interested in romance, but something clicked deeply within her when she spent more time with Hope in this new world.

 _Hope Estheim_ , the emotional teenager she had sworn to protect all those years ago. Some part of her still couldn't believe that the 'little lost puppy' she protected with her life during her time as a l'Cie grew up to be such a fine young man.

Back during the Crystal Age, her experiences with Hope were always under the circumstances of some world-ending threat or the agenda of some menacing divine being. But now, she could spend time with Hope in peace, never having to worry about any threats or danger anymore.

For the first time in their lives, they could spend time with each other, basking in each other's company without a worry in the world.

He'd always be the one appearing at her apartment door, asking to hang out somewhere, doing something. It didn't matter what it was, all he wanted was to spend time with the woman he loved more than the world. Lightning would always accept, sometimes chalking it up to her own boredom. But deep down inside her heart she knew, she  _loved_  spending time with Hope.

Perhaps it was his charm, or either it was his smile that he'd always have on his face whenever they were together. Whatever it was, it was starting to make her feel things she hadn't felt before. Before long, whenever she was with him, she could feel the odd sensation of 'butterflies' in her stomach. His laugh would always fill her with a sense of warmth, his smile practically radiating joy and love. She'd never seen him so happy before.

The days when she was alone in her apartment, when Hope was too busy with work to spend time with her, felt like the longest days of her life. She'd caught herself staring at her phone waiting for Hope to reply to her messages more times than she'd like to admit.

It was lonely moments like those that had caused her to come to terms with the feelings she had for Hope deep within her heart. Perhaps for once in her life, she was... in love?  _Love_ … love… love. It was such a strong word to her, something she had only ever attributed to familial love. But to love… romantically - it was something new for her.

She kept her true feelings deep within her for some time, afraid to reveal them to Hope. But all it took was a single incident for all of it to come flowing out of her.

The evening had gone greatly so far. After weeks being preoccupied with work, Hope finally had the time to take Lightning out, something he found increasingly harder to do as his responsibilities as the director of the Academy began to pile on him.

So far, they had spent the day at the park, sitting by the lake, both of them having small talk with each other. It didn't really matter what they were talking about, Hope always felt happy in the presence of the rosette.

Hope glanced towards the sky, noticing that the sun was already beginning to disappear into the horizon.

"Come on, Light. I think we should get going now," the silverine said, standing up, holding his hand towards Lightning and helping her up as well.

In the distance, thunder could be heard but neither of them heeded any mind to it, too distracted in each other's presence to care about the weather. They walked side by side, and lately they'd always find themselves mere inches apart from each other whenever they walked together.

Hopefully they would be able to get back to Lightning's apartment before the dark of night set in.

Lightning glanced at the silverine beside her. Today she realised he had adorned his Academy uniform, his signature blue tie flapping about in the wind.

 _Did he always look so handsome in that uniform?_ , her mind suddenly bringing up the idea out of nowhere. She blushed at the thought - hard - and turned her eyes away from Hope for a moment, too embarrassed at the thought that had popped up in her mind.

Hope looked to his side, somewhat surprised to see a blush on Lightning's cheeks, her eyes seemingly glancing away from his gaze.

Before he could even think about any of it, the roaring thunder of the clouds had shocked him out of his thoughts.  _Great_ , he thought to himself,  _where there's thunder there's…_

Rain.  _And Lightning_ , the silverine snickered to himself. He mentally slapped himself for the terrible pun his mind had just conjured.

The rain poured on them almost instantly after the roar of the thunder. Before they knew it, they were already soaking wet. Lightning's apartment was at least a kilometer away, and the nearest building was 500 metres. The only shelter that they could find was a bus stop. It was that or be drenched in the cold rain.  _Dammit, should've brought an umbrella_ , Hope cursed to himself.

Hope quickly grabbed Lightning's hand, leading her to the shelter of the bus stop. It didn't entirely shelter them from the rain, but it was good enough.

"Are you alright, Light?," Hope asked concernedly.

"Y-yeah,".

Hope glanced at Lightning to see how her condition was. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him. She was shivering, her shirt barely enough to cover her body from the cold rain. The rain had soaked her shirt to the point it had almost become see-through, the outlines of her bra becoming visible. Hope blushed madly and turned his gaze away almost instantly.

Hope was shivering himself, feeling the cold rain trickling down his back and neck. But his shivering was nothing compared to Lightning's. Beside him he could see Lightning shivering almost uncontrollably from the cold rain, wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to warm herself. Hope reacted immediately, taking off his Academy jacket.

Lightning could see what Hope was trying to do. "Wait Hope what-," but before she could say anything else, Hope had already wrapped his jacket around her shivering body.

Even with the jacket, the silverine still noticed that she was shivering, her teeth chattering from the cold. The jacket alone was not enough to keep Lightning warm. So Hope did the next best thing he could, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to warm her up. His body heat should've been enough to warm her up a little. Without his jacket, he could feel the cold air biting his skin, but he kept on, caring about nothing else other than Lightning's comfort.

She could feel his face mere inches away from hers, his body pressed tightly against hers, his hot breaths tickling her face. A few seconds ago she felt shivering cold, but now she could feel Hope's warmth radiating throughout her body. Her warm feelings were cut short when she glanced to look at Hope.

She could see him very noticeably shivering, his long-sleeved shirt and tie becoming soaked from the pouring rain. To make things worse, the strong winds had amplified the chilling effects of the rain. The sound of his teeth chattering uncontrollably had caused her to be filled with a feeling of pity. The poor man was willing to suffer the harsh cold of the heavy rain, just to make sure she was comfortable.

Her face formed into an expression of sadness and pity, her mouth drooping into a frown at the sight of the silverine shivering.  _Hope_...

At that moment, she felt  _love_. A love… for  _him_. This was a man who had done so much for her, that had always looked up to her for most of his life. And here he was, still there to comfort and protect her… just like he promised all those centuries ago. To see the sweet man that had cared for her ever since she arrived in the new world bearing the cold just for her almost tore her heart apart.

She couldn't bare to watch him like that anymore, and instantly wrapped her arms around him, trying her best to keep him warm as well. She promised to keep him safe, yet how many times had she broken that promise? However, today she'd keep to her promise for once in her life, even if it meant just shielding him from the rain.

She noticed his shivering gradually slowing down, a warm smile of relief forming on her lips. She sighed in relief, only the sounds of their breathing and the rain pouring against the bus stop filling the air.

Seconds of silence passed, the two of them hugging each other for warmth in the cold rain. She looked up to Hope, seeing a delighted smile form on his face.

"Thanks, Light," he thanked with a huge smile on his lips, his wet hair seemingly covering the rest of his face.

She didn't respond, instead reaching up to brush the wet hair that had covered Hope's eyes, brushing it aside to reveal the loving look in his emerald eyes.

Hope blushed for a bit at Lightning's gesture. Now, their faces were mere inches apart from each other, the hot air from their breathes tickling each others skin.

Lightning was blushing like mad, desperately hoping that the blurriness caused by the rain and the lack of light in the bus stop would help hide it. She stared deeply into Hope's green emerald eyes,  _had they always been so entrancing?_. She swallowed a lump in her throat. His soft lips were right in front of her face, tempting her.

 _No!_  her mind screamed. Yet... her heart had other plans.

She closed her eyes slowly, inching her face ever so closely to Hope's.

"Light?,".

Before he knew it, Lightning's soft lips were already pressed against his, the look of passion and nervousness all mixed into one that was apparent on Lightning's face, whose eyes were shut almost too tightly. It wasn't much of a deep kiss, her lips just barely touching his own.

But yet, he couldn't believe it, the woman of his dreams, the person he had spent almost his entire life loving, was right there,  _kissing_  him! He responded back, pressing his lips deeper into hers, holding her head gently, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Closing his eyes, he could feel the wetness of something trickling down his cheeks. Whether it was the raindrops or his tears, he couldn't tell.

Lightning caressed his cheek with one hand while the other stroked his silver hair softly. She felt like she could keep kissing him for all eternity, savouring the feeling of his soft lips against hers, the sensation of butterflies in her stomach growing ever so strongly - this was it. This was  _love_.

They were sloppy, their teeth knocking into each other, their lips all over the place - it was their first time kissing after all, but that didn't matter in the slightest to them. The rain felt like nothing anymore, both of them savouring each other. Eventually, to each other's slight disappointment, they broke off from the kiss to catch their breath. At that moment, the thought of the cold rain had left their minds entirely. They could only concentrate on one another, still attempting to process what'd just happened between them.

"L-Light?," Hope tried to say, at a loss for words.  _What just happened?_

Lightning looked away, her mind beginning to process the relationship-changing action she had just done.  _What the hell did I just do?!_

She felt like running away, the embarrassment of her impulsive action starting to finally dawn on her. The rosette lifted herself up from her seat, ready to run away from there. It didn't matter where, just anywhere from him.

But before she could even make her escape, she felt a hand on her wrist. She instinctively turned to look at the silverine who was now holding her by the wrist. A pleading look was apparent on his face, as if begging her not to leave him.

"Light, please... don't go," he said, his eyes practically begging her to stay.

How could she ever resist those puppy eyes? He sure knew how to convince Lightning, much to her dismay. She sighed, sitting herself back down onto the seat. She tried to retract her hand, but the silverine still maintained his gentle grip on her wrist. Before long, she felt his hand move towards her palm, his fingers gently brushing her soft pale skin in repeated circular movements.

"Talk to me, please?," he said, his voice practically oozing with warmth. He more than wanted to know what the rosette had on her mind.

"I-It was nothing Hope. It was a mistake, an accident-,"

"That kiss just now wasn't an accident," the silverine daringly replied. He wasn't going to let her go that easily. He wanted to know if she really did.. see him that way.

Lightning felt cornered. There was no way out of this. That kiss was not mere impulse, it was her subconscious - her heart - yearning for Hope. The only thing blocking her feelings was her own stubborn and reluctant mind.

Before awkward silence could set in, Hope finally asked the question. "Light... do you  _love_  me?,".

That question had finally broken her stone-cold demeanor. That four letter word, it was so strong. Did she really see him that way? Her heart and her brain were at war with each other. It was as if her stone-cold personality was fighting against the feeling of  _love_  that was starting to consume her heart.

"I dont know..," the rosette replied, her voice full of confusion and uncertainty.

As her mind waged civil war with itself, she hadn't noticed Hope inching closer towards her. Before she knew it, she felt the cold sensation of his hand gently caressing her cheek.

"Hope, wha-," her words were cut off by his lips. It was a gentle kiss, his lips softly pressing against her own. She looked up, seeing his eyes closed. There it was, that feeling of butterflies again. Now... it was undeniable.

Hope expected a hard slap to the face from the former Guardian Corps soldier. But instead, he continued to feel Lightning's lips against her own. They were unmoving, yet.. she wasn't backing away. He broke off from the kiss, hoping to see the rosette's reaction.

He opened his eyes, to the sight of Lightning blushing madly. He sighed internally, glad to know that his face still hadn't been left with a big red hand mark yet. But, the rosette in front of him still looked confused. Her mind was still at conflict with itself. Perhaps he could break the stalemate.

He took hold of her hands, holding them closely to his chest. "I  _love_ you,".

Lightning's gaze immediately went towards his own, her blue eyes peering deep into his. Her mouth widened slightly, as if to show that she wasn't expecting him to say  _that word_.

It was like she couldn't control herself, and before long Lightning was already slamming her lips into Hope's once again, wrapping her arms around Hope's neck. Hope was all too glad to kiss her back with all his passion, wrapping his arms around her body. As they broke off from the kiss to catch their breath, she finally spoke.

"I think I love you too,".

The woman who had locked her heart away in an attempt to become stronger slowly opened herself to another. She'd let Hope into her heart and allow him to discover every inch of her soul.

After that fateful moment at the bus stop, they're relationship only continued to grow. It seemed that they frequently found themselves spending time much more often. Sometimes, it would be Hope spending the night at Lightning's apartment. Other times, it'd be Lightning at Hope's house, Hope letting her sleep on the bed while he slept on the sofa, often to her protest and dismay. Whatever the case, they were practically inseparable now.

But on the days when they couldn't spend time together, it felt like absolue agony to them. The loneliness that Lightning felt during those days were unbearable. Perhaps if she had Serah's company she wouldn't have felt so alone, but her dear sister was already living together with Snow. Unless perhaps...

"You can come live with me if you want," Hope offered, cuddling with her on the sofa.

It was one of their usual nights watching whatever was on the television at Lightning's apartment. Hope came to her apartment earlier that night, bringing along with him some takeout for the both of them. Now, they were both comfortably sitting on the sofa, Hope wearing his shirt and tie, his jacket strewn across one of the chairs.

Lightning fiddled with her thumbs, still thinking about Hope's offer. Hope had his arm around her shoulders, his head just leaning against hers. He could see the deep thought that his partner was in. He still couldn't get enough of her, those beautiful blue eyes, her soft pink hair, the cute pout that she'd make whenever he tried to do something cheeky - she was perfect.

A cheeky smile formed on his lips. He leaned in closer to her, her neck looking so exposed. With a mischievous grin on his face, he gave her a deep kiss on the crook of her neck. Lightning blushed madly, her cheeks a bright red that were clearly visible even with just the light from the television illuminating the living room. She turned to look at Hope, a stunned look followed by her signature pout adorning her face.

"What was that for?," she huffed.

Hope chuckled, amused at his partner's reaction. "Just for fun. Because I  _love_  you," he smirked slyly.

As if she wasn't already blushing enough, whenever he uttered those 3 words, all she could do was blush even harder. At that moment, her face was as red as a cherry tomato.

"You're just teasing me," she said crossing her arms, giving her signature pout.

Hope chuckled. "No I'm not. I really love you," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the lips.

She felt like whenever their lips came into contact, it took the all of her willpower and more to break off from the kiss. It felt addicting, giving her a feeling of euphoria she couldn't find anywhere else. Lightning felt her partner's tongue in her mouth, feeling startled at the sensation. It seemed that Hope was getting bolder each day.  _Two could play at that game._  Soon, their tongues wrestled for control.

Breaking off from the kiss, each other's saliva still hanging from the other's mouth, they stared lovingly into each others eyes. It seemed that they always ended up in a trance, taking in each others beauty and perfection after their kisses.

"So, what do you say?," Hope asked.

"W-what?,". Lightning was taken out of her trance-like state by Hope's question.  _What were we talking about before this?_

The puzzled look on Lightning's face was enough to make Hope chuckle. "I was asking if you wanted to come live with me,".

A light blush formed on Lightning's cheeks. She had gotten so entranced by their kisses that she had forgotten all about the topic at hand.

"I...I guess… I don't know," she replied uncertainly.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I'll understand," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"It's not that I don't want to…,".

"Then…," the silverine asked, his eyebrows forming into a curious look.

"I… Where will I even sleep? Unless you have another bedroom I could use. But last I remembered, you only had a single bedroom in your house," she explained.

Hope wondered to himself. Now that he thought about it, she had a point. His house really did only have one bedroom, since it wasn't a particularly big house or anything.  _Perhaps we could clear out my study room.. No that would be too tedious_ Hope thought to himself. _Hmm… maybe we could-_ an idea instantly came to his mind. It was so simple, their problem could be solved with the easiest of solutions!

"Well, why don't we sleep together then?," Hope suggested.

"W-what?," Lightning stammered.  _Sleep… together?_  The thought hadn't even surfaced in her mind before this.  _To sleep together with.._  She swallowed a lump in her throat.

"I mean it, Light. You can just sleep with me, in my room. Y-you know… like couples usually do," Hope attempted to explain.

Sure they had fallen asleep together in each other's arms on the couch before especially on movie nights like these, but to sleep in a bed… together?

"W-well I don't know," she stuttered. It seemed that the both of them were flustered about the whole idea.

"We could always try it tonight," Hope said smirking slyly. He instantly regretted saying that once he received a punch to the shoulder from Lightning.

"Ow,". A single punch from the former soldier was enough to make the silverine wince in pain. What other reaction could he have expected from Lightning?

Lightning on the other hand was blushing intensely. Because of him, now she couldn't get the thought of the two of them sleeping together, in a bed, cuddling, one being the big spoon while the other becoming the small spoon - out of her mind. She wondered what that would feel like… maybe she could try.

She shook her head intensely, trying to snap herself out of such thoughts. She needed to gain back her composure or risk Hope seeing her so caught up with his idea. Now that she thought about it though, she wasn't  _too_  opposed to the idea. Maybe.. maybe they could try it for once.

"Okay," she spoke softly, almost like a gentle whisper.

Hope was surprised at his partner's answer. "W-what? Y-you're serious? Wait I mean you don't have to do it if you don't want to and-,".

"I said okay, Hope," she interrupted his sputtering.

He didn't expect her to even accept his suggestion. "O-okay, then I'll buy a new bed for my bedroom this weekend that can fit the both of us and-,".

His words were cut off by a pair of soft lips on his own. Lightning gave him a peck on the lips with a smirk on her lips.

"I'll be waiting then. But for tonight, I think the sofa would do fine, don't you think?," she said.

Hope smiled at her words. Maybe this would be a new step towards strengthening their romantic relationship. It was a stretch but, perhaps soon, they'd be able to start their life together.


	3. The Moment Love Arrived

Lightning smiled to herself as she remembered the day she finally moved in with Hope. She glanced at her husband who was still busy keeping his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel. A sigh escaped from her lips as she shook her head.  _Who would've thought so much could happen in one night._

Lightning stood there in front of Hope's house. It wasn't her first time being there, yet something felt different knowing that she would be living there from there on out. She could hear the sound of the car door closing behind her. Shortly after, Hope appeared beside her with a smile on his face. He reached to grab the luggage in Lightning's hands, carrying them for her.

Just a few weeks back, Hope had brought Lightning to go bed-shopping. He didn't want to upset or disappoint her with his own choice, so he made sure that whatever they chose was agreed by the both of them. Lightning's small apartment in the city had been sold off just a few days ago, and now she was finally moving in with Hope.

Lightning held Hope's hand, letting him guide her into his house. Well,  _their_ house now.  _It'll be nice to have some company, instead of being alone in that apartment,_ Lightning thought to herself. His house wasn't the grandest or the biggest, but it would be enough for Lightning. She'd always asked Hope why someone like the Director of the Academy would be living in a small house like this one, but he'd always given the excuse that he rarely spent time at home anyway.

Hope opened the front door, allowing Lightning to step inside first. An air of familiarity washed over Lightning. Before this, she'd always spent some days of the week there, especially when it had gotten too late for her to head back home. Hope always accommodated her as best as he could, even going so far as to allow her to sleep on his bed while he slept on the sofa, much to her own dismay and protest.

But now that they'd bought a new, bigger bed, Hope wouldn't need to be sleeping on the sofa anymore.

Hope went on ahead upstairs to place Lightning's luggage in his -  _their_  - room. She went over to the living room, letting her hands run over to feel the soft fabric of the sofa. She plopped down right into it, letting herself sink into the soft cushions. Her feet dragged around on the carpet, feeling the soft wool beneath her feet. She had to admit, Hope had a better eye for furniture than she ever did.

Hope came down the stairs having put Lightning's luggage in their room. Just a few nights before, he'd already cleared out some space in his cupboard that Lightning could use. Deep inside, he'd been waiting almost too eagerly for her to move in ever since she agreed that night.

His lips curved into a smile seeing Lightning looking so comfortable in the living room.  _Seems like she's adjusting well to her new home,_ Hope thought to himself.

Lightning heard the sounds of footsteps behind her,  _must be Hope_ , she thought to herself. She arched her head backwards on the head of the sofa, too lazy to get up and turn her body to see him. Hope chuckled to himself seeing Lightning act so comfortably around him. His eyes met with hers, her face upside down on the sofa. As soon as he got closer to her, he leaned down to plop a kiss on her forehead.

"I see someone's already getting comfortable," he said with a smirk on his lips.

"Hmph. Well it's not my first time being here," the rose-haired woman replied.

 _She has a point._  "So do you think you'll like it here?," the silverine asked.

"Well.. it's not much but it'll do," she replied with her usual tone of sarcasm that Hope had grown to love.

Hope smiled. "I knew you'd like it here," he said leaning down further to give her a quick kiss on the lips whilst her head was still upside down. "Well, you just relax right here. I'm gonna go make us some dinner,".

She lifted her head back up, her thoughts now wondering about dinner.  _Dinner?,_ she asked herself. "Wait, you're gonna cook?," she asked the silverine who was already making his way to the kitchen.

Hope smiled at her question. "Yeah, a welcome gift for my new  _guest_. It'll be a special surprise,".

 _A surprise? Well, it'd better be good,_ Lightning thought to herself.  _Well, I guess I could wait for a surprise._ She could feel the soft cushions of the sofa pulling her deeper. It felt so incredibly comfy. Her eyes felt heavy, and a yawn escaped from her lips.  _Well, guess a short nap won't hurt_.

An aroma penetrated her nostrils. It smelled familiar, yet foreign. She knew the smell from somewhere, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her eyes slowly opened as the aroma grew stronger. How long had she slept? It felt like hours that she'd been in a deep sleep.

As she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Hope right beside her, and she could feel his hand gently stroking her pink strands of hair. An eager smile was on his lips, one that she noticed he'd usually show when he was excited about something.

"Honey, dinner's ready," he spoke in a soft voice, taking care not to startle her. Usually he'd expected a blush or a small frown on Lightning's face whenever he used that word, but perhaps now she was too groggy to even care.

She groaned, rising up from the couch and stretching her arms. "How long did I sleep?," she groaned groggily.

"Just long enough to be in time for dinner," the silverine answered. "Come on, you're surprise is waiting for you," he said, leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek.

She got up from the sofa, following Hope to the dining room. The smell only got stronger as she got closer to the source. The familiarity of it only piqued her interest as to what was causing the strong aroma.

As she entered the dining room, she could see candles on the side, a rose in a bottle in the middle of the dining table, and most importantly, the source of the aroma she had been so intrigued by. There on both ends of the table were two plates with fat, juicy, succulent pieces of  _steaks_. Lightning could practically feel her mouth salivating in anticipation of eating them.

"Y-you cooked steak?," she asked surprised. She never knew Hope had the skill nor the talent to even cook such a dish.

"Yeah, I know how much you love them. So, I cooked them just for you," he replied with a toothy grin.

"Thank you…," she spoke softly.

"Don't thank me yet, Light. It isn't exactly behemoth steak, but I tried to find something similar to it," he said. Deep inside, he was glad those hulking monstrosities didn't exist in the new world.

He pulled the chair beside Lightning, inviting her to sit on it. After making sure she was comfortable, he went to his seat on the other side of the round dining table.

The candle-lit room and the rose in the middle of the table set the mood for the dinner.  _Hope must've went through a whole lot of effort to make this dinner right,_ Lightning thought to herself Deep down, she was really touched at Hope's romantic gesture, as clichè as it may be.

"Very romantic, Hope," she commented as she observed the scenery around her.

Hope grinned widely at her words. "I tried my best. I'm glad you like it so far,".

The aroma coming off from the steak gave her a feeling of nostalgia. The memories of being on Pulse and feasting on Behemoth steak flashed through her mind. She grabbed onto her steak knife, slicing a chunk of the steak in front of her. The juices leaking out as she pushed her steak knife into the piece of meat looked  _oh so_  satisfying. She lifted the piece of steak to her mouth, saliva practically filling her mouth, eagerly wanting a taste of that juicy meat.

Now for the moment of truth. She placed the steak in her mouth, letting it sit comfortably on her tongue for her taste buds to feel. Hope on the other hand swallowed a lump in his throat, anxious to know if his days worth of learning how to cook the perfect steak just for her would all be worth it.

He could see Lightning chew the steak in her mouth, tasting every inch of it. When the taste of the steak finally settled into her taste buds, it hit her like a truck. So much in fact, that her eyes were practically wide open at that moment. She couldn't believe it, it tasted just like the behemoth steak she'd used to make all those years ago on Pulse. She closed her eyes, unable to stop herself from moaning in satisfaction.

"Mmmm. This is pretty good," the rosette moaned as she shoved more of the steak into her mouth.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief. With his worry out of the way, he began digging into his steak as well. He was surprised at the flavour of the meat, the savouriness, the tenderness of the meat - it was absolutely delicious! Hope couldn't help but smile knowing that his hard work paid off in the end.

As he was enjoying his steak in all its delicious glory, he felt the warmth of a hand on his own. He looked up away from his plate, greeted by the sight of his partner, the warmest of smiles plastered across her face, one that he'd only ever seen her give when she was truly happy about something.

"Thank you, Hope. It's really sweet of you to do this for me,". Her words were sincere, she truly was grateful for what he'd done for her tonight.

Hope felt a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction at her words, his lips forming into a delighted smile. "You're welcome, Light. Not bad for the first day living here, amirite?,".

"Hmph, day's not over yet, so we'll see," she replied with a half-smile.

They enjoyed their romantic dinner in bliss, and soon the dark of night had come to consume the day. Soon they'd be able to test out the new bed, and finally - after much anticipation - sleep together.

After dinner, Hope had went up first to get changed for bed as Lightning stayed downstairs to wash the dishes - per her insistence. She placed the last of the dishes in the drying rack and dried her hands with the kitchen towel. The rosette headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs into her new room.

As she opened the door to the bedroom, she was greeted with the sight of Hope in his pyjamas: a pair of grey pyjama pants and a plain white shirt, sitting down with his back leaning against the bed's headboard. In his hands was a book, and a pair of reading glasses adorned his face. He smiled at her lovingly, patting the other side of the bed, inviting her to be with him.

She huffed.  _Seems like he's all too eager for this_. "I'll go get changed," she said walking into the bathroom on the other end of the room with her night clothes in hand.

She shut the bathroom door behind her, stripping down and putting on a pair of shorts and a purple t-shirt. Her exterior seemed calm, but inside her heart was beating like crazy. This would be something new for her, sleeping with Hope. Deep down her emotions were an absolute mess - anxiety, excitedness and nervousness all vying for control of her feelings.

She reached for the doorknob, turning it slowly and pushing the door open. Hope was still reading his book, but as Lightning appeared from out of the bathroom, he couldn't help but blush and smile nervously. This had been the most  _'revealing'_ outfit that she'd worn in front of him. But he felt good knowing that she was starting to become more comfortable opening up to him.

He repeated his gesture, patting the other side of the bed, inviting her to finally be with him. Lightning only responded with a sigh and a half-smile. She made her way to the bed, sitting on the edge of it before letting her entire body lie on the soft mattress. It felt soft and comfy, almost like she could have fallen into a deep sleep then and there. But there was just one thing keeping her from going gentle into that good night.

Truth be told, her heart was beating at an alarming rate. She was nervous, but she'd never reveal that to Hope. She pulled the covers over her body, turning away from Hope in attempt to hide her deep blush and rapid breathing from his eyes.

Hope noticed her behaviour almost immediately. He chuckled lightly. "Nervous, Light?,".

She let hmphed. "Apparently you're not!," she said still looking away from him.

Just as she had said that, she felt Hope's hands press onto the bed, right beside her head. She looked up, eyes wide at Hope who was directly above her. His red cheeks and his rapid breathing were a dead giveaway of his emotions.

"I-I am. My heart...," he swallowed a lump in his throat. "is pounding,".

His eyes searched hers, waiting anxiously for her response.

"Mine too," said the rose-haired woman beneath him, almost like a whisper.

The silverine felt her arms on his neck. He obliged, leaning down and closing the gap between them. Lightning closed her eyes, getting ready for what was to come. But instead of locking lips with the silverine like she'd expected, she felt his soft lips kissing her forehead, one hand stroking her soft pink hair while another held on tightly to her arm.

She pushed him away from the kiss and pushed herself upright, causing a stunned look on his face.

 _Oh no, did I go too fast?,_  he thought worriedly to himself.

But all his doubts were soon washed away once he felt her soft lips against his. He responded back, pushing his lips against hers, letting his tongue roam free. The taste of her lips made him absolutely ecstatic. The silverine cradled the love of his life in his arms, sharing a passionate kiss with her.

Lightning could feel Hope pressing onto her, and all she could do was oblige and lean back down onto the soft mattress, her head resting against the pillows. Now, she could feel his entire weight on her, his lips pressing into hers ever so intensely. She could feel her arms moving as if by themselves, one going up to caress his soft hair while another seemed to be moving along his back. Her fingers traced the shape of his spine, gently stroking them up and down his spine as their kiss only grew more passionate.

Hope gasped opening his eyes, feeling the cold touch of her fingers against his skin. Lightning's hand was already at his waist, pulling his shirt up to reveal his abdomen. He could feel the cold touch of her hand moving along his stomach as it made its way up to his chest. Hope pulled away from his kiss, which had earned him a disappointed look from Lightning. He tried to search her eyes, trying to understand the meaning behind her action.

They'd gotten intimate before, but nowhere to the point of doing  _the deed._  He needed to make sure that she was absolutely sure she wanted to  _do_   _it_.. with him. Lightning noticed the unsure look on his face, the nervousness in his eyes.

"L-Light, are you sure that… this is what you want?," he asked, his eyes conveying a look of uncertainty.

Lightning looked deeply into his eyes. Hope's question had struck her deeply. Did she really want to do it with him? Her first time.. with Hope? She never imagined that the day would come when she would finally do  _it_. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. Her heart was practically beating like it could jump out of her heart at any moment! Yet, she had a feeling that it wasn't lust that was driving her mind, no.. it was a  _love_  for him.

Her mind processed the question for a moment. After everything they'd been through, the centuries they were apart, the challenges they had faced together - she was sure. She  _loved_  him. No one else could do, Hope was to be the one, he  _had_ to be the one.

The look of unsureness still remained on Hope's face, his arms were trembling in anticipation of her answer.

Lightning swallowed a lump in her throat. "I..," she couldn't believe she was saying this. "I-I want you, Hope," she confessed as her cheeks turned a deep red.

"A-are you su-?,". His words were cut off by the sensation of lips smashing into his own. His eyes slowly came to a close, unable to stop himself from letting out a moan of satisfaction. Lightning took ahold of his hands, guiding them to her chest. Hope gasped at the feel of her chest under his palm.

Lightning broke off from this kiss, panting as she tried to catch her breath. She sat up on her knees, moving her hands towards the bottom of her shirt, slowly lifting them up. But before she could go any further, she felt a pair of hands stop her. She looked up, seeing Hope looking at her with a nervous smile on his face. She could see his eyes looking down towards her shirt, as if he was trying to tell her something.

"L-let me do it," he stuttered awkwardly.  _Dammit, that was supposed to come out a lot more romantically_ , he cursed to himself.

"O-okay," she replied.

And with that, Hope moved his hands, slowly pulling up Lightning's t-shirt. Lightning raised her hands up in an attempt to make it easier for Hope to lift her shirt off. As soon as it was off, he threw it to the floor. He gulped for a moment, taking in the sight of Lightning's body. Her bare skin was all his to see, except her breasts which still hid under her bra.

Hope's hands moved towards Lightning's back, towards her bra. But before Hope could even think of unhooking and taking off Lightning's bra, she place her hands on his arms, stopping him from going any further.

"W-wait, Hope," she said awkwardly, looking into Hope's emerald eyes.

"L-let me take off yours too,". Gosh, her entire body was practically cringing at the awkwardness of her words.

"Oh right. S-sure," he replied back.

He obliged her, sitting down on his knees. Her hands were trembling nervously as she went to lift up Hope's shirt. Within seconds his shirt had already ended up on the floor. Hope gasped softly as he felt Lightning's hands on his chest, caressing and feeling the muscles on his abdomen. He felt the cold sensation of her hands move away from his chest and towards his hands as she lead them towards her back.

Hope instantly understood what she was trying to tell him. He went to work trying to unhook her bra, his fingers fidgeting about as he fiddled with the hook. Several seconds passed as Hope continued his attempt at unhooking Lightning's bra, the silence only fueling the awkward atmosphere in the room.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief as the bra finally came off. Any longer and he might've needed Lightning's intervention. He let the bra fall off her body and onto the bed. His mouth was agape, unable to pull his eyes away from the sight of her bare breasts. He leaned in closer and placed a trail of kisses all over her chest. A moan escaped from her lips, her fingers pulling Hope's face closer to her body.

She could feel Hope's lips make their way up to her neck, feeling his soft lips kiss the crook of her neck intimately. She gasped, unable to control herself any longer. It was if her hand had a mind of its own, and before she knew it, it was already on Hope's pants. She could feel something hard beneath them. She couldn't wait any longer, she wanted him  _now._

Lightning pulled down Hope's pants impatiently, letting them drop to his knees. She blushed madly, unable to take her eyes away from the sight of him.

Even before Hope had any chance to act, Lightning had already pulled her shorts off to reveal herself. His breathing hitched as he saw the sight in front of him. There she was, a  _goddess_ , right in front of him, in all her beauty and perfection.

"H-Hope," she spoke. "I want you  _now_ ," she said almost demandingly.

Hope was all too happy to oblige. He slid off the rest of his pants off of his legs and tossed them to the floor. Lightning laid back down on the bed, her head resting comfortably on her pillow. Her breathing was rapid, the nervousness starting to fill her mind. This was it. This was going to be her first time.

Hope guided himself, gently placing himself on her. Lightning let out a gasp as she felt him at her entrance.

"Tell me if it hurts, okay?," Hope said. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the love of his life and ruin their first time.

As gently as he could, he inserted himself into her. A moan escaped from his lips, feeling the tightness of her walls. Lightning gasped at the sensation. She could feel him inside of her. They were connected now, soul to soul.

He thrusted his hips inwards and outwards, moving as gently as he could, trying to avoid causing Lightning any pain.

Lightning gasped as he moved, her hands instinctively grabbing onto his arms, a jolt of pain surging through her body. "Ah!,"

"Light! Oh god I'm so sorry should I-,"

"N-no. Keep going Hope. I'm okay," she assured him, her arms slowly pulling his body back down onto hers, pressing her lips into his, trying to calm him.

As he continued to gently thrust in and out of her, the pain had seemingly disappeared, replaced by a sense of immense pleasure and ecstasy. It felt so good. Her insides were practically burning up with pleasure and desire.

Lightning's soft and quiet moans filled the air, accompanied by the creaking sound of the bed and Hope's own ocassional moans of pleasure. The entire time, their faces were mere inches apart, both of them locking lips in the heat of passion as they made love to each other, their lips only separating once in awhile to catch their breath.

Lightning could feel herself nearing her climax. Her moans only grew louder which each thrust of Hope's hips.

"Hope… Hope!," she moaned his name. Her arms were interlocked with his, her legs locking their naked bodies into an embrace. She could feel the weight of his body on her, his chest pressing onto her. She placed a trail of kisses on his neck as she felt her pleasure only growing. He responded by taking her lips into his own, feeling her moan into him.

Hope could feel it too. He was about to reach his own climax soon. With each thrust, his arms only embraced the love of his life even tighter, the sound of his name escaping from her lips in moans of pleasure filling him with a sense of love and satisfaction.

She was close. So close. "Hope… Hope… I'm about to.. about to..," she tried her best to let the words out of her mouth, yet the pleasure she was feeling was driving her mind crazy.

She could feel it, her climax. "Aah! Hope!," she cried out in pleasure. It was total ecstasy and she was on cloud nine. Her body trembled as her climax surged throughout her body. She embraced Hope tightly, still feeling him thrusting against her hips.

He could feel her walls tighten around him, pushing him towards his own climax.

"L-Light!," he cried out as immense pleasure flowed throughout his body as well. He felt himself release into her, her moans of pleasure being the only thing he could hear at that point.

He never imagined his first time would be with  _her_ , the woman he'd literally dreamed of for all his life.

They both panted for air, having used up their energy in their love-making. Hope plopped down onto Lightning, fatigue starting to overwhelm his senses.

His head rested besides Lightning's, his body resting on top of hers. Hope panted in exhaustion. Lightning could feel his chest moving up and down against her body as his lungs took in the air.

Her fingers ran through his fluffy hair, stroking his head gently. Her other hand laid on his back, her fingers tracing the outlines of his spine. Minutes passed in satisfactory silence, the both of them taking in everything that had just happened between them.

The rosette felt his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck. She felt him open his mouth, his breath tickling her ear. "Light... did it feel good? I-I mean was I good-," he sputtered awkwardly. The embarrassment in his voice was clearly evident.

The rosette blushed at his question, her thoughts finally coming back to what they had done just minutes ago. "Yes," she whispered into his ear.

"I.. it felt good. Y-you were good,". She too was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words. Deep inside her heart, what she'd just experienced just now was beyond words. She felt a deep connection with Hope, as if her love for him had transcended this mortal plane.. as if they were made for each other from the very beginning. But she'd never let Hope know all of that.. at least not yet.

Lightning felt Hope breathe a sigh of relief, followed by a light chuckle, his chest moving up and down against her own as he did so. She could feel his fingers running through her hair, her strands of pink hair being twirled on his fingers. "That's... good to hear," he whispered back into her ear, placing a kiss right on her cheek.

The rosette could feel her eyes becoming heavy. She felt herself being pulled into a deep sleep. But before she went gently into that good night, she needed to let something out of her mind.

She guided Hope's face up so that he was right above her. She stared deeply into his emerald green eyes, feeling his warm breath tickling her face, his eyes peering into hers lovingly.

"I love you," she said before pulling his face in to give him a deep kiss.

As their lips parted, he replied, "I love you too,".

They both fell into a deep sleep in each other's arms, their bodies intertwined as one.


	4. HIS ETERNAL LOVE

_White._

He clenched his eyes tighter, trying in vain to block out the blinding white light. It seemed to only intensify, even with his eyes shut tightly he could still see the blinding white light penetrating his eyelids.

He groaned. Why did his sleep have to be disturbed like this?

Finally, out of frustration, he opened his eyes.

_White._

That was all he could see. His vision went hazy for a moment, his brain still half asleep. The view in front of him began to focus, the blotches of white in front of him becoming smaller and clearer. The hazy details were starting to look much clearer. Soon, he could see it, the white lights of the city in front of him. The glistening lights of the vehicles and the buildings, he could see them all. _Academia._

It was still night time, yet the city was still wide awake. It seemed that Academia never slept. He groaned, wiping his baggy eyes. His head felt like all kinds of wrong, he probably strained a muscle in his neck. He could feel the cold hard desk touching his face, his drool dripping down one side of his lips. He slowly lifted his head up, wiping his saliza off of his face.

_Urgh... gross_ , he groaned in annoyance.

The night before had been a haze, his memory not helping him in the slightest. _What was I doing last night?_

He sat up in his executive chair, reclining his seat. He stretched his arms, finally feeling the sore pain in his back and muscles. _Dammit_ he muttered in annoyance.

The silverine tried his best to conjure up any sort of memory of the night in his mind, yet nothing seemed to come up. It was as if his recent memories of the day before had been wiped clean out of his mind.

He sighed, _at least I have this view I can wake up to_. He glanced back towards the gigantic windows in his office, giving him a stunning view of the city he helped build throughout the centuries. Sometimes in those occasional bouts of frustration, he'd sit there at his desk admiring the view of the city, sometimes spending almost hours at a time just taking it all in.

He got off his comfy chair, his legs feeling like jelly with the annoying prickly feeling he'd always get after going hours without standing up. The clock on his desk read 3.00 A.M. He sighed. There was no way he could go back to sleep, not in this state. Instead, what he needed was a shower.

It was smart-thinking on the Academy's end when they supplied Hope's office with its own shower. In times like this when he spent hours on end in the office, a relaxing hot shower was all he needed to let the pent up stress out.

Hope made his way to the bathroom of his office, located within a small hallway just out of view to anyone who would come in to his office from the main entrance. His head felt dizzy as if he could feel a migraine coming. Thankfully, he made it to the bathroom without collapsing.

Twisting the doorknob, he opened the bathroom door. He pressed a button on the wall, the entire bathroom lighting up all at once. He winced his eyes, feeling them dilating at the sudden exposure of intense light. Once his eyes had gotten used to the light, he could finally see the bathroom. It was decently sized for a bathroom built into an office, equipped with an overhead shower and a decent-looking toilet. He walked in, stopping for a moment once he saw his reflection in the mirror from the corner of his eye.

The man he saw in the mirror looked almost like a corpse. His eyes were baggy, his face almost too pale, his hair looking like a bird's nest. _When was the last time I got out of this office?_ Lately he'd been holed up in there for god knows how long, having been working around the clock to solve... _something_. _Odd._

His mind couldn't seem to conjure up any memories about what he'd been so busy doing before this. But for now, he couldn't care less about any of that. _I'm sure it'll come back to me sooner or later._

After switching on the shower, he took his uniform off almost impatiently, unable to wait any longer to feel the warm water on his skin. He stepped in, immediately sighing in delight as he felt the warm water pour all over his skin. This was just what he needed.

He closed his eyes, relaxing his body as the warm water soothed his aching body. The sound of the shower was cathartic, his mind feeling at ease and all his pent up stress flowing out of him. The silverine sighed. It was bliss.

" _Hope_ ,".

The silverine almost immediately had his eyes wide open. He turned around to look at the bathroom door. It was closed. No one was there. For a moment he swore he heard a voice almost as faint as a whisper. Someone was there… unless it was just the sleep deprivation getting to him.

"Stupid brain playing tricks on me again," he sighed in annoyance. He put aside the thought of the voice, instead going back to relax in the shower.

It felt like he had been in there for hours. The skin on his fingers were already starting to look rather wrinkled. He decided that perhaps he'd been in the shower for long enough. Closing the shower tap, he grabbed the nearest towel on the rack, wrapping it around his waist. Hopefully no one would come in to see him like that. _Only people that are in the building is just security._

He walked out into the hallway, uniform in hand, remembering to shut off the lights in the bathroom and close the door. The silverine stretched his arms out a little, relief washing over him once he no longer felt his muscles aching anymore. He felt much better now that he'd taken a bath. Perhaps he could get started on work once he was done changing. He made his away along the hallway. But as he closed in on his office, he noticed something. He stopped in his tracks.

The moonlight coming from his office windows had casted shadows on the floor. Yet, something seemed wrong about the shadows this time. He could make out a figure-like shadow. Hope rubbed his eyes, opening them again to find the figure-like shadow gone.

_What the hell…_

Was his brain trying to trick him again? He must've been more sleep deprived than he thought.

He continued his walk to his office at a slower pace. This was the second time he'd thought he was hallucinating. _Maybe I should get a psychiatric test?_

_Perhaps a little nap on the sofa will help all this go away._

He finally made it to the office, the walk along the short hallway feeling like it had taken almost an eternity. _Strange._

The main door was closed. The lock still engaged, meaning no one had broken into his office. A breath of relief escaped his lips. _Thank god it was noth-_

" _Hope,"._

He stopped dead in his tracks. There was that voice again. Now he could clearly make out that it was feminine.

" _Hope_ ,". He could tell that it was coming from behind him… his desk. He felt cold sweat running down his face.

" _Hope,"._ It filled him with an odd sense of familiarity. Almost.. too familiar. This was strange, maybe he should get the hell out of there and call security. _Dammit, I should've kept my boomerang with me._

" _Hope, turn around,"_. The silverine gulped. Was he really going to oblige to whoever it was behind him? His mind told him to run… yet his heart felt almost dangerously curious towards the voice. His emotions were in a mess, the oddly familiar voice behind him sounding too alluring to resist.

He couldn't stop himself as he slowly turned his head towards his desk behind him. He knew he shouldn't have but his curiosity got the better of him.

He could make out a silhouette on his desk, the absence of light in his office causing everything to look blurry.

The figure got off his desk, now standing in front of it. As the moonlight began to shine through the office window, the figure standing in front of him became much clearer. He could finally make out who it was.

_No.._

_That hair…_

" _Hope, don't be afraid,"_.

His breathing hitched, his heart skipped a beat. His brain was going haywire. _It couldn't be…_

" _Hope, it's me…,"._

"Lightning…," he finally replied.

Her pink hair was unmistakable. Yet… something felt off. As she walked closer to him, he could see her body in the dim moonlight. She was wearing nothing at all, her strands of rose hair barely covering her chest. Her bare skin was all his to see. He blushed madly, turning his gaze away in embarrassment.

" _Light y-you-,"_.

A finger was pressed to his lips. " _Shhh~,"_.

He could feel her hands on his head, turning him to face her, forcing him to gaze upon her form. Now, he was finally looking at her, taking in all her beauty. His face was burning with embarrassment, but deep inside the silverine thought that she looked like a goddess.

She placed her hands on his bare chest, drawing circles around them, tracing her fingers all over the outlines of his lean muscles. The silverine gasped, her hands feeling cold to the touch. He was too engrossed with the fact that Lightning was there, right in front of him, that he hadn't noticed where her other hand had gone.

He felt a tug at his waist. Before he could even react, his towel, the only thing covering his dignity, was already falling to the floor. His eyes and mouth widened in shock, his hands instinctively moving in a flash to cover himself, an unmanly squeak escaping his lips.

"Light what the-,". He didn't have time to get the words out of his mouth, his lips already being captured into a kiss. He was stunned, to say the least. The situation had gone from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds. His mind couldn't even keep up with what was happening. One moment he saw Lightning and then they were-

She finally broke off from the kiss, the mist from her breaths of air visible in the moonlight. The rosette stared at him deeply, her eyes peering into his. There was a look of pure lust in her blue eyes, as if the rosette was trying to seduce him.

" _Make love to me,"._

"Woah wait what-,". He couldn't react fast enough. Before he knew it, the rose-haired lady had already dragged him to the sofa nearby, pushing his back down onto the soft cushions.

"Light wait!," he wanted to say, trying his hardest to move his hands up to stop her. But before his words had even made it out of his mouth, she was already on top of him, guiding his length into her. His head arched back into the sofa, his fingers gripping tightly onto the soft fabric as his eyes clenched themselves shut. It was ecstasy.

"Hope.. Hope..," the rosette moaned as she moved up and down on him. Hope was speechless.

"Hope… _Hope,"_. He swore her voice was starting to sound different. Almost a little deeper.

" _Hope.._ _ **Hoooope**_ ," Her voice was no longer the feminine one he knew. It had gotten deeper, far deeper than possibly human.

His eyes were wide open now. Everything around him was starting to turn black, save for the rosette in front of him.

" _ **HO**_ _ **PE ESTHEIM**_ ," a voice called out from the darkness around him. The silverine could feel everything rumbling around him, the voice only continuing to grow louder and louder each time it called his name. He could see a large silhouette appearing from behind Lightning. It was massive, almost appearing to outsize her. From within the darkness he could see claws appear.

A figure appeared from the dark abyss, towering over the both of them. It had wing-like structures around it, almost as massive as buildings. It's entire body looked like that of a god… one that would dwarf even the likes of fal'Cie like Barthandelus that he'd fought against ages ago. It had an aura of light around it, contrasting the darkness that had begun to engulf them. He was so caught up with the figure in front of him he hadn't realised that Lightning had disappeared.

" _ **HOPE ESTHEIM!**_ ," the figure growled, it's face looming over him.

" _ **You are imperfect!**_ ," its voice growled in an insulting tone, the sounds of it echoing throughout the abyss, ringing in his ears. " _ **But, I will make you pure!**_ "

The poor silverine was terrified. He'd faced the likes of Orphan, but this time he felt so helpless. Without anyone or anything, in his naked form, he felt so vulnerable, so alone. He felt like his heart was going jump out of his body from the fear that had consumed his mind.

It's massive claws engulfed him, and soon he was being bombarded by a bright light almost as intense as the sun. His entire body felt like it was being ripped apart, his skin feeling as though it were burning off of his body. All he could see now was...

White.

He tried to scream, but his mouth would not open. He tried to struggle and run, yet his body would not allow it. This was it.. this was his doom.

" _ **You will be a perfect vessel for the almighty Bhunivelze...**_ ,".

He tried to cry out for help, but nothing would come out. _No.. No!_ _Lightning! Please… please help me! HELP!_

" _Hope!,"_ he heard a voice call out to him.

He tried to look around, but all he could see was the blinding light, the excruciating pain starting to destroy his mind and his thoughts.

"HOPE!,". He felt his body shaking uncontrollably. He felt like his limbs were being torn apart one by one, his head being separated from his body ever so painfully as the shaking only intensified.

"HOPE! Wake up!,".

Hope jolted awake, gasping.

Cold sweat trickled down his neck. He could feel his rapid pulse surge throughout his body, his lungs panting for air as if he'd almost drowned. He inhaled and exhaled almost at an alarming pace.

It was dark, yet he could make out some details of where he was. He felt the environment around him, feeling a soft bed beneath him. Moonlight shined through the curtains, illuminating the room around him. He squinted his eyes, trying his best to see the details of where he was.

His breathing hitched as he felt something touch his shoulder, his body instinctively jolting back in fear. He crawled away from whatever had touched him, his breathing only becoming more rapid.

"P-please.. don't hurt me," he pleaded out. His vision focused towards the person that sat in front of him. His eyes began to dilate, immense fear starting to set in once he began to realise who it was. _Pink hair…_

Lightning was right there in front of him, having shaken him awake from his nightmare. Her eyes were full of concern, she had never seen him so scared before.

She inched her body closer to Hope's, afraid of startling him. He looked so afraid… so vulnerable.

"Hope, it's okay… it's me," she spoke in a soft voice, trying to calm the silverine. She inched her hands closer to him, but as soon as she did, the silverine retreated back into the headboard, his body trembling in fear.

"Please… don't..," he pleaded. She could sense the fear in his voice. She looked deeply into his eyes. They looked so lost, so confused… so afraid. She could see the drops of tears flowing down his cheeks. _He's afraid…_

"Hope, it's me.. Lightning. Please.. it was just a dream," she tried to convince him. But her words had only caused him to recoil further into himself, his body clearly trembling in trepidation.

"Y-you're not real," he spoke softly, almost like a whisper.

Lightning was confused. "What do you mean I'm not real? Hope, what are you tal-,".

_The rose-haired phantom.._ It was something that Snow had mentioned to her a long time ago. After the Chaos emerged, Snow had recalled that Hope started to stay inside his office more often, only ever appearing once in a blue moon. Every time he did make an appearance, he would go on and on about... a rose-haired phantom. And then suddenly one day... he disappeared. She understood now.

Realisation struck her like a bullet, her eyebrows furrowing into a concerned look. _His nightmare must have felt so real that he believes he's still inside it._ Her heart broke at the sight of Hope in fear, his nightmare continuing to haunt him even after having woken up. There was only one way she could convince him that he was in reality again.

She approached him slowly, making sure not to make any sudden moves that could startle him. Her hand inched closer to his face, gently brushing away strands of his hair that covered his face. She could feel him shaking as she did so, his emerald eyes still encapsulating the absolute fear and terror that he was feeling in his heart. Without waiting any longer, she wrapped her arms around his body.

"Shh~. It's okay," she soothed the silverine, her hand stroking his silver hair gently. She could feel him quivering at her touch.

"Shh~. Try to remember. Try to remember where you are, Hope," she whispered into his ear with a motherly tone to her voice, patting the silverine's back in circular strokes.

Hope tried his best to conjure up the memories from deep within his mind. This time the memories were starting to flood in, the floodgates of his memory banks finally being opened. They had slept together, the both of them locked in a loving embrace after making love to each other.. _he remembered_. He remembered all of it.

"We-We're at my house? I-In my room?," he asked, a hint of fear still present in his voice. The rosette responded with the most loving smile he'd ever seen on her yet. She nodded her head lightly.

As gently as she could, she took his hand in hers and brought it up to her cheek, leaning her face into the palm of his hand.

She turned her gaze back to his emerald eyes, seeing the fearful look that had consumed them a few seconds ago starting to fade away.

"This is real Hope. You don't have to be afraid anymore,".

She leaned in closer to him, closing the gap between them. She closed her eyes, inching her face closer to his. The rosette could feel his hot breath tickling her face.

Hope felt the sensation of Lightning's soft lips pressing gently into his. He couldn't respond at first, his mind still grasping the reality he was in. But for now all he could do was savour the feeling of her lips on his.

After what felt like minutes locking lips, they break off from each other's lips. His breathing had calmed immensely, no longer hyperventilating uncontrollably.

"It… it felt so real, Light,".

"It's okay… I know..," Lightning wrapped her arms around him, letting him rest his chin on her shoulder. For a few seconds, he didn't respond. But eventually she felt him pull his arms wrapping her into a tight hug, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

"L-Light. I-I'm so sorry,".

He couldn't keep it in any longer. The realisation of what he'd done was starting to dawn on him. He felt so ashamed, he couldn't even believe that he thought that his partner was that... phantom that he'd been haunted by all those centuries ago. Shame, it started to consume his heart, infecting his mind like a virus.

She could feel the tears flowing from his face onto her bare skin, a cold sensation running through her with each drop. She could feel his breath hitch with every sob he took. It took all her willpower to not breakdown right there and then watching her partner in tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I thought you were-,"

"No. Don't be sorry Hope. You have nothing to be sorry for," she said, tightening her embrace on him, running her fingers through his hair.

She continued, "I'm the one who should be sorry. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. I wasn't there to protect you.. from _him_ ,".

"I can't even imagine the pain.. the torture you went through for all those years as.. as _his_ puppet. You've gone through so much Hope.. a-and I wasn't there for you,". A single tear trickled down her cheek.

She could never forgive herself for not helping him sooner. She had promised to protect him, yet he had suffered the worst of it all, his body and soul manipulated into becoming god's vessel.

"But I'm here now Hope. I'm here for you. I won't leave you again. I promise," and she meant it with all her heart. This time, nothing else would come between them, neither fal'Cie nor God. Their fate was their own.

Her words had only made the tears flow much harder. The memories of those years held like a hostage in the Ark under _his_ watchful gaze had begun to flood his mind again. God had torn away his emotions, wiping them clean, cleansing him of the only thing that had ever made him human. Hope Estheim, leader of humanity.. reduced to nothing more than a puppet of God. Each memory felt like a twisted stab to the heart.

"L-Light…," he whimpered.

All she could do was place kisses all over his face and hold him tighter, hoping it would soothe his aching heart. But deep down she knew that her words alone would never be enough to heal the trauma of the suffering he went through for all those years.

"I love you Hope. I won't abandon you… not again,".

She held him closely to her, whispering soothing words into his ear, stroking his hair gently. The tears wouldn't stop for the silverine, his heart no longer able to dam the flood of emotions that was pouring out of him.

Eventually, the sounds of his quiet sobs had stopped. It had felt like hours that they were locked in an embrace. Lightning could hear faint snores beside her. She turned to face Hope, a warm feeling of relief filling her soul upon seeing him in a peaceful slumber. She hoped that this time, he wouldn't be haunted by the nightmares again.

The rosette sighed. Just now, Hope's thrashing and kicking had woken her up from her sleep. She'd initially thought he was fooling around, but she knew instantly that he was in a nightmare once she heard him calling out to her... for help.

She gently laid his sleeping body down onto the bed, placing his head onto the soft pillows. She draped the blanket over him, going in to give him a kiss on the forehead before tucking herself in right beside him.

She gently wrapped her arms around him, enveloping his sleeping body into a loving hug, her chin resting on his head of silver hair. This time, she'd be there to comfort him again. She'd do it a million times if she had to… he deserved that much.

As she stroked the strands of his silver hair, she saw a look of peace on his face. She leaned in, giving him a gentle peck on the lips. For a moment, she swore she saw his lips break into a faint smile.

She sighed. "I'll keep you safe, Hope. I promise you,".

**x~x~x**

The memory of that night had managed to tug at her heartstrings again. She wiped away the stray teardrop that had managed to find its way trickling down her cheek. She glanced for a moment towards the silverine in the driver's seat. He looked so at peace at that moment.

She let out a deep sigh. After that fateful night, Hope began to open up the trauma he had locked away for so long within his heart. Lightning was there every step of the way, trying her best to mend and heal his broken soul. The nightmares, they'd never stopped, but each time he woke up from his nightly torture he'd always find himself wrapped in her arms, hearing her murmuring sweet nothings into his ear.

On the outside, the silverine exhubarated confidence, almost as much as he did when he was the leader of humanity. But Lightning knew the truth, that deep down he was a broken soul, his suffering at the hands of Bhunivelze forever leaving an unhealable scar in his soul. But she'd be there for him, and no matter what, she'd love him all the same. Sometimes she'd wondered how long he'd kept this part of himself away from her, having to bear all of his pain alone. Her lips curved into a frown at the thought.

"Something wrong, honey?,".

She turned towards Hope, cocking her eyebrows into a look of confusion. "Why do you ask that?,".

"You were frowning just now. Just thought that something was bothering you," he explained.

She huffed, her face breaking into a half-smile. "Nothing's bothering me Hope. I was just reminiscing,".

"Oh?," the silverine replied, his eyebrows cocking into a look of curiosity.

"Yeah…,".

Hope knew she wouldn't tell him what she was reminiscing about. He sighed. Sometimes she loved keeping her secrets to herself. _Oh well, I gue-_

The feeling of soft lips pressing into his cheek had caught him off guard. It was a fleeting peck on the cheek, ending as soon as it came. He glanced towards the rosette, a half-smile evident on her face.

"Wanna tell me why you just kissed me on the cheek?," he said teasingly.

"I just felt like it," was all she replied.

He smiled. _Well, that's a good enough answer for me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to all of you who've given me kudos! Your support really motivates me to continue this story until the end 😄


	5. In Sickness and In Health

The rosette winced her eyes at the sunlight shining on her face. She lifted her hand up to her eyes, trying her best to block the rays of the sun. On her hand, the only piece of jewellery she had glistened in the sunlight. It was her engagement ring.

Her lips broke into a faint smile. She brought the ring closer to her, her fingers feeling the shape and the intricate details of it. Leaning back into her seat, she closed her eyes, reminiscing once more.

She sighed. It almost felt like yesterday when Hope brought her out to the beach that one night.

x~x~x

Her pink hair swayed in the gentle breeze. The calming sounds of the ocean waves, the feel of the sand beneath her feet - it felt like home. She sighed. How long had it been since she'd last seen Bodhum… her home? Centuries had passed and yet she still felt a certain longing for the beaches of her hometown.

The sun had long since disappeared into the horizon, now only the dim moonlight and the usual lamp posts lighting the area around her. A peaceful silence seemed to fill the air, save for the chirping of the crickets.

"It's beautiful isn't it, Light?".

The rosette turned her gaze to her side, looking towards the silverine beside her. A gentle smile was plastered across his face with his silver hair swaying in the wind.

The rosette hummed. "Yeah, it is,".

She took his hand in hers, intertwining her fingers together with his. For a moment, she leaned her head against his shoulder, standing there with him on the side of the beach, looking out towards the vast ocean in front of them.

The silverine sighed deeply, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against hers. It was nice standing there, admiring the view of the beach. The air of the beach felt different compared to the city, filling him with a deep feeling of calm and peace, one that he'd rarely ever felt in the hustle and bustle of the city.

He felt his hand being tugged at, opening his his eyes to see Lightning tugging at his arm. The look on her eyes clearly meant that she wanted him to stroll along the beach with her. Hope obliged, walking alongside her with his hand holding hers ever so tightly. It seemed that she couldn't wait any longer to feel the sand beneath her feet.

"Was there a reason why you brought me out to the beach at night of all times?," the rosette questioned.

She could see Hope chuckle almost nervously. "Well.. that's a surprise,".

Her eyebrows cocked into a curious look. "A surprise? Mind telling me what it is?," she questioned almost teasingly.

Hope chuckled, a smile forming on his face. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you what it was now would it? Besides, I knew you'd love to be at a beach again,".

"Oh, and why do you think that, Mr. Hope Estheim?," she asked as her eyebrows cocked into a teasing look.

Her words had only managed to get the silverine flustered. For some reason, whenever she'd call him by his full name like that he would blush madly.

"W-well, I know how much it reminds you of home," he answered, trying his best to sound as confident as he could.

Lightning paused her walking for a moment, both of them coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the beach. Hope could feel her fingers gripping a little more tightly against his hand. His heart was beating now.  _Crap, did I upset her? I knew I shouldn't have said that! Me and my stupid-_

"Yeah… it does," the rosette finally responded. She let out a small chuckle through her nose, a gentle smile forming on her lips.

Inside, she was deeply touched at Hope's reasoning to bring her out here. She couldn't deny that a feeling of longing for her home in Bodhum in the old world sprang up in her heart from time to time. But the past was the past, and now she had a new home, with  _him_.. and she couldn't have been any happier.

She brought her hand towards Hope's face, bringing him down to her level. The rosette leaned in, pressing her lips to his cheek. Hope was flabbergasted and relieved at the same time. He sighed inwardly, relieved that he hadn't spectacularly ruined the moment between them like he'd worried.

"Thank you," she whispered as she took her lips off from his cheek.

"Don't thank me yet, Light," the silverine responded back.

Lightning was confused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing into a look of confusion. "Remember, I still have a surprise for you," Hope reminded with a huge grin on his face.

Before she could respond, Hope was already holding her hand, leading her along to somewhere. She sighed, a smile forming on her lips. "Alright, surprise me Hope,".

They walked hand in hand along the beach, the moonlight dimly illuminating their path. A peaceful silence enveloped them. Sometimes, even if they didn't convey any words to each other, they felt a strong sense of peace and love in each other's company. They walked for what seemed like minutes, until they reached a narrow jetty stretching out into the vast ocean.

Lightning was confused, but somewhat curious. What sort of surprise did Hope have in mind?

"Um, Hope? What are we doing here?," she asked curiously.

"You'll see," he replied, a warm smile plastered across his face.

He walked up the steps of the jetty, extending his hand out to her, helping her up onto it. They continued their walk along the jetty, Hope holding her hand tightly as he led the way. It wasn't so long, only stretching to about 10 metres into the ocean. It reminded her somewhat of the small jetty she had in Bodhum.

All that surrounded them was the ocean. The oddly calming sound of the ocean waves crashing against the jetty, the gentle breeze in the air, the chirping of the crickets - it reminded her of the times when her and Serah would play together in the beaches at night, under the stars. She sighed. Deep inside, she truly cherished and longed for her childhood that had been cut short by her mother's passing.

"It's a nice view from here, isn't it?," the silverine said, breaking the peaceful silence between them.

A small smile formed on her lips. "I guess you could say that,".

"Perfect," the silverine muttered under his breath.

But now that she thought about it, what was the surprise? Why had Hope brought her out to the jetty? It couldn't have been to see the view was it?

Before her mind could wonder any further, from the corner of her eye she could see Hope going down onto his knee.

_What is he up to? This better not be some cheeky prank of his._

"Lightning…," the silverine spoke, immediately grabbing her attention.

He rummaged through his pant pocket, searching for something. Finally, after what felt like an eternity for him, he found what he was looking for, slowly taking it from out of his pocket. In his hand, Lightning could see a small black box. It almost resembled a-

 _No.. It couldn't be.._.

Hope slowly opened the box, revealing a ring. Hope gently held her hand, and Lightning could see the nervousness plastered across his face.

"Hope...,"

"Light, I-I…" he breathed in deeply before continuing.  _Here it goes_  "Ever since I lost you that day after we saved Cocoon, I felt so lost and empty", his breathing hitched for a moment, trying to get the words out of his mouth.

"When I finally saw you again in the Ark, I was so happy that after centuries of waiting I...I could finally see you again". Lightning stood there silently, her eyes peering deeply into his emerald ones.

"But then... the world ended, and G-God manipulated me,". It took all his willpower to say those words, the memories of those centuries held like a prisoner forever leaving a scar in his soul. The rosette noticed a single tear flow down Hope's cheek. She of all people knew the torture he went through.

"I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to see you again. And now, I want to be with you, forever," he said, his eyes looking deeply into hers, the look in his emerald eyes conevying passion and anxiousness and everything in between.

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. This was it. His 'surprise' of a lifetime. "So Light- no,  _Claire_  Farron, will you marry me?". His emerald green eyes stared into hers. He tried to searching those beautiful blue eyes he'd always adored, trying to read the rosette's emotions.

To Hope, those few seconds of silence from Lightning felt like it lasted a lifetime. His heart beat only increased as he waited for an answer from the woman he'd been waiting to be with for centuries. His mind was starting to feed doubt into his heart, the possibility of a rejection replaying itself constantly in his brain. In all honesty, he didn't even know what he'd do if she rejected him.. but he'd understand.

"Yes," she answered. It came out almost like a whisper, as if she was too shy to even say it.

It took a few seconds for her answer to process in his mind.

"Wait really-" his words were cut off when he felt Lightning practically leap onto him. He could feel her nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. The both of them were now on the floor of the jetty, embracing each other tightly.

"Yes. I'll marry you Hope. I'll support you," she said, almost immediately smacking her lips against his.

The feeling of her soft lips filled him with an overwhelming sense of relief. He closed his eyes, letting himself savour the kiss. The silverine felt Lightning's hand on his head, pushing their lips together even harder, locking them into a deep kiss.

They broke off from their kiss, panting for breath. As Hope looked deeply into the rosette's eyes, he could see a look of immense love in them, it was absolutely unmistakable. It was one that he'd ever only seen her give to him. But… he needed to be sure.

"Light, you're sure that you want this? That.. I'm good enough for you?," the silverine finally spoke.

She couldn't believe her ears. Good enough for her? He was more than good enough for her! He was  _the one_. The one that she'd finally let into her heart, the one she would share her pain with, the one who she'd gone through hell and back with - she was sure about this. She would spend her entire life with him, no one else could do.

The rosette lifted her hand up to his cheek, feeling his skin against her palm. She stroked the strands of his hair, brushing them aside to reveal his emerald eyes looking deeply into hers. She leaned in closer to him, leaning her forehead against his, feeling his breath lightly tickling the skin on her face.

"Hope, you're  _more_  than enough for me," she said, her lips forming into a smile that conveyed the true love she felt for him. "And besides, we're partners, remember?,".

A sudden sense of nostalgia rushed into his mind. Those words held so many memories, ones that had brought him to where he was now. He could still remember as clear as day when Lightning uttered those words to him in the Grapa Whitewoods.

He responded back with his own smile, laughing lightly, a strong sense of love filling the crevices of his soul. He placed his hand on hers that still rested on his cheek, leaning his head into it.

"You know, I don't think I'd mind being stuck with you for the rest of my life," the rosette joked as she gave the silverine a peck on the lips.

She managed to get a chuckle out of Hope, his laughter echoing throughout her ears, filling her heart with an immense feeling of joy. It was contagious, and she couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Me too, Light," he tried to say between his laughs. Without noticing, tears had started to form in his eyes, trickling down his cheek as his light chuckles continued. A sigh escaped his lips.

"I love you,".

"I love you too," the rosette responded.

She inched her face closer to his, placing her lips against his once more. The seriousness of their decision was starting to dawn on her, and soon her eyes had started to form tears by themselves. She was going to be spending her life with him, and the thought of it made her heart flutter almost uncontrollably, but she'd never admit that openly.

This time, they'd be together, and neither fal'Cie or God was going to get in their way. She'd make sure of it.

Lightning placed a hand on Hope's cheek, while another gently stroked his soft silver hair as she continued to share a kiss with the silverine. She could feel him holding her by the waist, pulling their bodies closer together. Her head rested in his hands, his fingers running through her rose-coloured hair.

Eventually, Hope broke off from the kiss, earning a slight look of dissatisfaction from Lightning. Hope could only grin seeing her like that. Being able to see other parts of her personality that no one else in the entire world could see- besides Serah - made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

The rosette felt his hand on hers. She looked down, seeing him gently slide the ring onto her finger. She looked back up to him, a pleasant smile plastered across his lips.

Her eyes observed the ring on her finger. It was no ordinary ring. Instead of a diamond, this one had a crystal adorned on it. It glistened under the moonlight, it's red colour and blooming rose shape faintly sparkling on her finger.

It seemed oddly familiar to Lightning, as if she had seen it somewhere before. It almost reminded her of the crystals that her and the other l'Cie possesed during their adventures fighting against Barthandelus. That's when it hit her, that the crystal was in the shape of her Eidolith.

"Wait, Hope is this my Eidolith?," she asked, her eyebrows cocking into a curious look.

There was no way he could've remembered something as miniscule as that after literal centuries. But the wide grin on his face was enough of an answer for her.

"I'm so glad you noticed. I went through a lot of work to make it like that,".

Hope could see the rosette's eyes going back to observe the ring, her hand moving around as if to let her see all the perspectives of the ring on her finger. He chuckled inwardly to himself, thinking that the rosette in front of him looked rather cute, like a child playing with a new toy.

"What do you think?," he asked, wondering if his efforts were worth it.

She thought to herself for a moment, thinking of something witty to say. But she decided against it, thinking that a snarky remark wasn't right for something as beautiful as this. Instead, she decided to be honest with him.

"It's… beautiful, Hope," the rosette replied. The smile on her lips and that look in her eyes was enough for Hope to know that she was serious.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodne-," he felt himself being grabbed by the collar of his shirt. Before he knew it, Lightning had pulled him to her, her lips practically smacking into his own.

"And that's a thank you," she said after letting go of his collar, pulling away from him. Hope chuckled to himself. He wrapped her arms around Lightning, placing kisses all over her face.

They remained there on the jetty, neither of them caring about the time that seemed to pass by almost seamlessly, sharing kisses under the stars and the moonlight, the peaceful sounds of the ocean waves surrounding them.

This was it, happiness. This was what he deserved, what they  _both_ deserved. After centuries of being  _alone,_  they'd finally found happiness in each other's arms.

Time flew fast, and before they knew it, the wedding was finally here. It had taken them months of planning, and at last, the day had arrived.

Lightning sat in her bridal dressing room, getting herself ready for the ceremony. She looked at the mirror, moving around as she tried to see all parts of her wedding gown. It flowed around her body with each step she made, the rose petal designs bulging out of her dress adding a nice flair to it all. The dress overall resembled the dress she had worn during that one  _fateful_ night in Yusnaan. Her lips curved into a half-smile, remembering the time she blew up an entire statue to break into Snow's palace.

Instead of its signature dark red colour, the dress had been made white, tailored to be much more suitable for a wedding. Hope had gone through great lengths to get the dress for Lightning, having gone from one bridal tailor to another for weeks on end in order to find the perfect one. In the end, it seemed that his efforts were not in vain. The dress fit her to a tee, looking as dashing on her as it did during that  _performance._

She let out a sigh.  _Who would've thought I'd end up marrying him?_  The rosette thought back to the times when she first met him as a teenager, all those centuries ago. The little lost puppy who she'd mentored and fought alongside with was soon going to become her husband. A part of her couldn't believe it. Yet, here she was, preparing for the ceremony that was to come.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the clicking of the door. She turned her gaze away from the mirror, looking to the door to see her beloved sister coming into the room. Serah wore a white dress as well, being the bridesmaid and all.

The younger rosette almost seemed to be out of breath. She took a seat on one of the sofas in the room, catching her breath. "Phew.. I think everybody else is prepped and ready, Claire," she said between her pants for air.

Lightning walked towards her sister, plopping herself right beside her on the sofa. "So, Hope… is he ready?,".

The younger sister looked towards the elder, a wide grin forming on her face. "Well, I had Snow prep him beforehand. So… he should be as ready as ever," Serah explained.

Lightning sighed. Now that they were soon going to be unified as one, the only thing she could think about was Hope.

"You know.. it seems like you're doing all of the work for this wedding," the rosette said. Her words held some truth to them. Serah had been the one meticulously planning the wedding alongside the two of them.

Serah could only chuckle at her words. "Yeah… it does seem like that, doesn't it?,". Truth be told, she'd been handling almost every single detail from the decorations to even managing everyone else. They'd insisted her to take it easy, but the girl wouldn't let up. Sometimes, it almost seemed like Serah was planning her own wedding all over again.

"But you know what, sis? I don't mind it one bit," she continued. Lightning turned her gaze towards her sister, still wondering why she was so willing to do all of this for her.

Serah sighed, her lips still curved into a smile. But Lightning could tell by the look in her eyes as she gazed almost into space, that her sister was deep in thought. Almost as if she was recalling a memory,  _reminiscing._

"Claire…," she finally spoke, "all I've ever wanted was to see you happy. W-when mom died, you… you turned into someone so different than the  _Claire_  I knew," she sighed. She looked towards her older sister, seeing the confused and somewhat shocked look in her eyes.

"You hardened yourself, just so that you could be strong enough to protect me. But.. it was like all of your happiness had been sapped out of you. And then.. the whole l'Cie thing happened and everything just fell apart from there. I didn't even know if we'd even be together again," the younger rosette said, a tone of sadness to her voice.

"Serah…,".

"But now..," Serah took hold of both of her sister's hands, holding them close to her. She peered into Lightning's blue eyes, her lips curving into a pleasant smile. "Now… you've finally found your happiness. Whenever I see you with Hope, i-it's like you couldn't be any more happier! A-and I'm so happy that-," Serah tried her best not to let the tears out, afraid of ruining the makeup she had spent close to an hour applying on her face.

Before she knew it, Serah felt herself enveloped into a hug. She felt her body being pulled towards her sister. She responded, wrapping her arms around her older sister as well. The younger rosette felt at peace in her sister's arms, leaning her head against Lightning's.

"You and Hope deserve this, Claire. I'm so happy for the both of you," she sniffled. Serah was beyond ecstatic that the two had finally taken that next step in their relationship. She'd known - heck everyone knew - that Hope was always in love with her sister. It was obvious really, the way he'd been so obsessed about her when Lightning disappeared in the annals of time - he was absolutely head over heels for her. But to finally see them getting married, to be bound together for life, it gave her a warm feeling deep within her heart.

"Thank you Serah.. for everything,".

Their heartfelt moment was cut short once the door burst open. A raven-haired lady burst through the door, her white dress flowing in the breeze. "Alright ladies, I think it's time we get this show started dont'cha think?," the raven-haired lady said placing her hands on her hips.

 _Fang…_ , Lightning sighed internally. The raven-haired vixen always was one to burst in at the wrong times.

"Oh.. didn't mean to interrupt the moment," she said, noticing the position the two sisters were in. "But I'm sure you don't want to keep your  _man_ waiting, Lightning," she smirked slyly. Lightning could only sigh. The rosette got up from her seat as did Serah.

She breathed in deeply, mentally preparing herself for the ceremony ahead. The rosette didn't even know why she felt so nervous. It was just Hope and it was just her own wedding ceremony. But… maybe that was it. After this, they'd be husband and wife.. and perhaps the thought of it felt..  _weird_ to her. Would things change between them once they'd be bound together, or would everything still be the same?

Her train of thought was interrupted once she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced to her side to see her sister giving her a reassuring smile. Lightning could feel her nervousness slowly fading away once she saw her sister's face. It felt somewhat odd to her that her little sister was the one reassuring her this time. Oh how things have changed. But, in this new world, everything had changed, even Lightning herself.

Fang eyed up and down Lightning's dress, her lips curving into an admiring smirk. "I heard that Hope picked this dress for you. You know, I never knew he had such good fashion sense. I'm surprised he chose something so  _elegant_  for you," the raven-haired woman commented.

"Yea.. he surprises me sometimes too," the rosette smiled.

Serah took her sister's hand, her lips curving into an eager smile. "All right sis, let's go!," she said, her voice practically oozing enthusiasm.

Lightning breathed in. "All right, here it goes,".

As she walked out of the room, she could see the door at the end of the hallway. Outside it, she could see the blue sky in its magnificent glory. She could feel Serah wrapping her arm around her own, the both of them walking hand-in-hand. As she got closer to the door, she could feel the breeze running through her hair.

Once out of the door, she was greeted with the sight of the blue sky above her and the green grass beneath her feet, a white carpet trail laid on the grass leading to the wedding venue. Serah went on ahead, going to regroup with the other bridesmaids. Now, she was going at it alone.

She could feel the breeze of the wind gently blowing her hair and her dress. They decided on having the wedding at a cliffside resort, their venue overlooking the beach and the ocean in the distance. It didn't help their budget in the slightest, but Hope and Lightning decided that they could make an exception for something as important as a wedding.

The rosette followed the path, a large white arch adorned with roses spiralling its columns appearing in her view. Just below it stood her brother-in-law, a toothy grin plastered across his lips. He would be the one to walk her down the aisle. When she'd offered him the duty, he practically squealed like a child in excitement. She chuckled to her herself at the memory. Perhaps sometimes she didn't mind him being part of her family.

"Looking good, sis" Snow commented with a wink.

She let out a chuckle through her nose, a half-smile forming on her lips. She eyed the blonde giant towering above her. He wore a white tuxedo, a black bowtie and a black tuxedo shirt.  _At least he cleaned himself up nicely today._

"Not looking bad yourself, Snow," she said.

Her arm slinged around his, ready for him to walk her down the aisle. She took a deep breath.

 _This is it_.

"Ready, sis?,".

The rosette glanced at Snow, giving a slight nod of confirmation.

They began walking slowly down the pathway, rows and rows of people flanking each side of the white aisle. Most of them she knew, having made the decision to keep the wedding for family members and close friends only. The entire time, a huge grin was ever present on Snow's face. Truth be told, the man was overjoyed that his family was only going to get bigger now that Hope was soon going to be his brother-in-law.

"Y'know sis, I  _totally_  knew you two would end up together," the blonde-haired giant said as he glanced towards the rosette.

The rosette cocked her eyebrows in confusion. "And what does that mean?," she questioned her brother-in-law.

"Well, I mean it was obvious he was head over heels for you. But I knew even if you kinda didn't show it, with your  _soldier_  attitude and all, you loved him too back then. Amirite?," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Well.. he wasn't wrong. "Oh, so you're the love expert now?," the rosette replied teasingly, a half-smile forming on her lips.

"Of course I am," a grin formed on his lips. "I  _was_  the one giving him the advice," he said with a wink.

Lightning rolled her eyes.  _Of course Snow had to be the one to do that._ Well, at least now she knew where Hope got his ideas from. Perhaps Snow's advice wasn't so bad, now that Hope had actually managed to convince her to marry him.

"But now that you two are  _finally_ getting married, I can actually call him lil' bro!," he exclaimed with joy, a hearty laugh bellowing out from his mouth. Lightning could only smile at the blonde's words. It seemed that he was almost as ecstatic as her that she was getting married. She especially knew that Snow and Hope shared a special relationship, almost like siblings. The rosette had no doubts that their bond would only grow stronger now that they were soon going to officially be brother-in-laws.

As Snow walked her down the aisle, the rosette could see everyone turning their heads towards her, clapping their hands as she made her through the white carpet. But she couldn't care less about them, her gaze already fixated on something else.. the man standing at the end of that aisle, right in front of the wedding wreath. There he was, standing there with a huge smile on his face, looking dashingly handsome with a white tuxedo almost akin to that of Snow's.  _Hope…_

The rosette could feel her heart beat faster with each step she took towards the end of the aisle, closer towards him.

In the front rows she could see Dajh, Noel, Yeul and especially Vanille with her usual gleeful smile on her face. She could also see Hope's parents there too, the both of them looking so proud and overjoyed seeing her walking down the aisle. Even from a distance, Lightning could see that Nora was tearing up, her hands already filled with used tissues.

On one side of the groom stood the man with an unmistakable afro… Sazh. A wide smile was plastered across his lips, no doubt so proud of seeing two of his closest friends and  _family_  finally getting married. When Hope and Lightning had to find someone to officiate their wedding, they couldn't think of anyone else more suitable than good ol' Sazh. The man felt like family to them, almost like a  _father_ to all of the former l'Cie. The countless times he'd been there for the both of them during their time as l'Cie and beyond… suffice to say, the old man held a special place in their hearts.

Serah was right beside him, the wedding rings sitting atop a small cushion on her hands. The rosette glanced to her side to see Snow giving her a genuine smile as she felt his arm sling out from her own.

The silverine in front of her curved his lips into a smile. His emerald eyes were practically glued to her, unable to tear his gaze away from the bride. A part of him couldn't even believe that this was happening, that he was about to marry the woman of his dreams. How had he gotten so lucky?

A stray tear trickled down his cheek, his true emotions starting to surface from within him. Lightning looked absolutely stunning in the dress, it's patterns and form complimenting her figure very nicely. She looked just as beautiful in the dress as she did when she performed the Song of the Savior during that fateful night.

Lightning stepped forward, her body now standing directly in front of the silverine's. She looked up, unable to stop her lips from curving into a smile once her eyes met with his. She stared deeply into them, taking in his looks. It felt like time stopped for a moment, her mind suddenly becoming engrossed in the silverine in front of her. Her breathing hitched for a moment, his cute smile and that loving look in his eyes dazzling her for a few seconds. His fluffy silver hair swayed in the gentle breeze, his emerald eyes almost seeming to sparkle in the sunlight.

"Ahemm..,".

The soon-to-be husband and wife were pulled out of their loving daze. Their eyes widened, realising how long they'd been staring at each other. They'd almost forgot that people were right in front of them, watching them. They both turned to look at the afro-clad man beside them almost in unison, a deep blush forming on their cheeks.

Sazh could only chuckle. "Alright, let's get this started," he said, his voice full of eagerness and enthusiasm. He cleared his throat for a moment, all the murmurs in the crowd suddenly replaced by silence.

"We gather here today to unite these two people in marriage," he started. "Marriage is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish," he said matter-of-factly.

"But.. I know that these two don't need to hear that," he said humorously, a chuckle escaping his lips. The silverine and the rosette could hear the light laughter among the crowd. "Because for as long as I've known them, they've gone through some of the toughest times, but also some of the best times,  _together_. They've always had each other's backs even until now… and I know that these two will do great together,".

Hope couldn't help but feel touched at Sazh's words. Lightning on the other hand felt a tear trickle down her cheek. The memories of their struggles as l'Cie and as servants of God flashed back in her mind. It was true, they had survived together.. yet she still felt like she'd abandoned him all those centuries ago, after she'd became the Knight of Etro. They hadn't even seen each other in centuries, and yet here he was, willing to commit his life to her.

The rosette was snapped out of her thoughts once again, her eyes focusing back to the silverine in front of her. "So..without further ado, let's get on with the vows, shall we?,". He turned to look at the both of them, his face lighting up into a smile.

"Do you, Hope Estheim, pledge to share your life openly with Claire Farron, to stand with her through thick and thin, through sorrows and joys, for all the days of your life?,".

"I do," he replied with confidence, his hands holding the rosette's, his emerald eyes peering lovingly into hers.

"Do you, Claire Farron, pledge to love Hope Estheim with all your heart, to care for him in sickness and in health, for as long as you live and breathe?,".

Lightning's blue eyes peered deeply into Hope's emerald eyes. She could see the loving look he had on his face, the warm and gentle smile that was on his lips. She breathed in. "I do,".

The afro-clad man pursed his lips into a wide smile. "Then I hereby pronounce you two husband and wife!," he cheered. "You may now kiss the bride," he said almost teasingly towards Hope.

It felt like time had crawled to a stop for the both of them, everything else in the around them becoming a blur. The silence between them seemed to drown out the cheers from the crowd, and it was almost as if they could hear each other's rapid heartbeats. Now, all they could concentrate on was each other. Lightning brought her hand up to caress Hope's cheek, her thumb stroking his skin.

"I'll protect you, Hope. I promise," she said almost like a whisper to him.

The silverine responded with a loving smile, his hand moving to caress Lightning's free hand. "I'll try- no, I  _will_  keep you safe too. Because now..," his fingers intertwined with the rosette's , "we're partners,".

Lightning chuckled lightly. "Yea… I guess we are now,".

Their faces inched closer together, closing the small gap between them. They could feel their hot breaths tickling each other's skin, their lips so close to each other. Their eyes slowly came to a close, their faces leaning in for the kiss.

It felt almost magical. They'd kissed before, but this time.. it felt different. Perhaps it was the fact that now they were truly bound together, that nothing would ever come between their love for each other.

The silverine sighed inwardly once he felt the sensation of Lightning's soft lips against his own, his hand instinctively holding the rosette by the waist. Lightning on the other hand brought her hand up to Hope's head, her fingers running through his soft fluffy hair, pulling him closer into a deeper kiss. She could never get enough of the taste of his lips, the sensation of it causing a rush to course through the very fibres of her body. Right now, she didn't even care that she was kissing him in front of a crowd, her overjoyed state of mind taking over her usual rational and reserved self. Oh what love can do to a person's mind...

They could hear the cheers and claps from the crowd beside them, both the wooing and the crying. Even Sazh himself was overjoyed, a few tears forming in his eyes as well. He was so proud of the two, and he knew that they both especially deserved it after everything they'd been through. Serah on the other hand was already in tears, smearing some of the make up on her face, absolutely over the moon to see her sister so happy in Hope's loving arms.

"Wooo~! Yea, you go lil' bro!," a voice cheered from the crowd. Sazh chuckled, shaking his head seeing Snow practically jumping up and down from his seat, waving his hands in the air as he cheered for his now brother-in-law. Serah chuckled between her tears of joy, amused to see her husband looking so joyful and lively.

"They look so happy together," Vanille sniffled between her tears of joy. Her hands were already at her eyes, trying her best to wipe away the tears.

Fang, even with her cool and sassy demeanor, seemed to shed a few tears as well. "Yeah.. they do. And y'know what, I'm real happy for them," she smiled. "Took them long enough,".

After what felt like an eternity sharing a kiss, the newly-wed couple broke off from each other's lips, both of them panting for air. They peered lovingly into each other's eyes, their lips unable to hold back their huge smiles any longer.

Serah walked over to the two, the rings still sitting atop the cushion resting on her hands. Hope gently took one of the rings into his hand, his other hand taking ahold of Lightning's. He held the ring, gently sliding it onto her finger, giving her a kiss on the forehead after he'd done so.

Lightning in turn did the same for him, taking his hand in her own and sliding the ring onto his finger as well. Before long, they were already leaping at one other, their lips locked into another kiss as they held each other in their arms, the cheers and claps of the attendees only growing louder upon their kiss. All they could care about now was savouring each another. Now, the world was theirs, and they'd go at it together, hand-in-hand.. as a family.


	6. Closer to Home

The morning sun shined through the window, the swaying of the curtains in the gentle breeze occasionally cutting through the rays of sunlight that entered the room. The sounds of the birds singing to their heart's content and the ocean waves crashing against the sand filled the air.

The rosette woke up to the sunlight shining on her face, her eyes instinctively wincing at the bright light. She could feel the fluffy pillows beneath her head, the soft mattress of the bed that she'd been lying on. A feeling of warmth seemed to envelop her, as if someone was laying right beside her.

"Good morning,  _Mrs_. Claire  _Estheim,"._

The silver hair on his head was strewn all over his face, partially covering his facial features. But even with that, she could tell he was smirking cheekily when he'd said her name.  _Claire Estheim…_  The name would take some getting used to, and she would dearly miss her maiden name but.. now she was truly bound with him. Now, for once in their lives, they were officially a family. As the gentle breeze made its way into the room, the silverine's hair swayed across his face, his emerald green eyes finally revealing themselves to her.

Her blue eyes met with his green ones, their breathing hitching for a moment, taking in each other's looks. Hope's bare chest was all hers to see, the blanket barely covering his lean muscles. As the breeze continued to blow into the room, she could feel the cold sensation of it touching her skin. It reminded Lightning that she too was bare, the covers just barely laying on top of her chest.

Lightning inched her face closer to Hope's, her legs moving to lazily intertwine with the silverine's. She sluggishly wrapped her arms around Hope's body, her naked body practically melting into his. The rosette buried her face into the crook of the silverine's neck, her gentle breaths tickling the skin on his neck. The warmth radiating from his body seemed to relax her ever so deeply.

"You're up early,  _Mr_. Hope  _Estheim_ ," the words sleepily came out of her mouth, her lips unable to hold back a yawn.

The silverine brought his face to her forehead, his lips lazily placing kisses all over her face as he enjoyed the rose scent of her hair. Hope let out a light chuckle, his eyes slowly shutting themselves to a close as he felt the rosette tightly embrace his figure.

"I was thinking about going out for a morning walk with you, but it seems like you'd rather lay here and cuddle," he said sleepily, another soft chuckle escaping his lips as he saw the rosette's lips purse into a playful smirk.

"You've read my mind, Mr. Estheim," she said as another yawn came out of her mouth, her eyes opening partially only for a moment to look at Hope's expression.

"I always do,". The rosette's contagious yawn was starting to infect him once his mouth stretched out into a yawn.

Hope buried his face into Lightning's rose-coloured hair, the rose scent of her shampoo starting to fill up his nostrils. His fingers ran through her hair, twirling her strands of pink hair around the length of his finger. For a moment he swore he felt rather than heard Lightning purr… almost like cat. He laughed inwardly, his thoughts going back to her Miqo'te outfit that she'd worn into battle some times.

"So, did you  _enjoy_  last night?," the silverine asked casually.

"Hmm…," the rosette hummed lazily, too tired to even care to answer him seriously.  _Last night? What- oh yeah.._

Last night had been the couple's first night as husband and wife, and obviously they'd made love to each other like they always did. Truth be told, it felt almost a little bit different to her last night, as if she felt a stronger connection to Hope as they made love to each other now that they were bound together for life. Or maybe that was just the ecstasy of being newly-weds getting to her mind.

"It was ok," Lightning replied sluggishly.

Hope's lips curved into a smirk. "Oh really?," he said, his voice starting to take on a teasing and playful tone. "I'm sure I remembered you moaning and shouting my name a few times when we were-," he felt a finger knock against the top of his forehead, his head moving back ever so slightly.

The silverine turned his gaze downwards, the look of his wife sending him a glare with those ferocious blue eyes accompanied by a deep blush on her cheeks causing him to shut his lips. Deep inside, he always loved it when she became flustered by his words.

"You're lucky I'm too tired right now to hit you," the rosette tried her best to sound as angry as she could. But all that came out after that was another yawn from her lips.

Hope chuckled at the sight. She'd always looked a little cuter when she got a little angry, ironic seeing as that meant inescapable doom to whoever her fury was directed towards.

"So I take it that you enjoyed my  _performance_  last night then?," he asked teasingly again. Even if she didn't answer him, the evidence was clear all over his body. The deep red marks on his back that still remained until the morning, the hickey on his neck-

Lightning sighed, finally feeling like giving in. Better to be honest than have him teasing her to no end.

"Alright fine, Hope," she huffed, "You win,". As the rosette went back to bury her face back into his neck, she murmured, "I thought you were  _good_  last night,".

His face lit up into a smile. "Thank you," he said, his voice muffled by the rosette's head of hair.

He felt himself being pulled back into a deep sleep once more. The two of them laid there in the bed, wrapping each other in an embrace, their bodies melting together as one. Lightning could feel the silverine's chest move up and down against hers, his exhalations blowing her pink hair ever so softly, the sounds of his breathing feeling quite relaxing to her. She felt at peace in his arms, one that she couldn't find anywhere else. Sometimes, even a former-soldier like her didn't mind cuddling once in a while.

**x~x~x**

Once afternoon came, It was finally time for the two to go home. After several days spending their first days as husband and wife at the beachside resort, they were finally heading home. Serah and the rest had all gone home after the reception, each of them giving the newly-wed couple their congratulations and heartfelt goodbyes. Now, it was just the two of them again.

Hope placed the last of their luggage into the back of their car, shutting the trunk down to a close. The silverine glanced to his back, seeing his wife standing near the beachside with her back facing him. The breeze seemed to cause her hair and her coat to sway about, dancing in the wind. Hope made his way over to her, taking in the view of the beach on that sunny afternoon as he walked closer to the rosette.

Lightning glanced to her side for a moment, hearing the footsteps behind her. She could see her husband getting closer to her, eventually standing right beside her. Her fingers felt the warm touch of his own, almost instinctively intertwining themselves around them. A sigh escaped her lips, her eyes closing for a moment as she leaned her head on the silverine's shoulder. She could feel his hot breaths gently blowing against her hair, warm feeling of his face pressed against her rose-coloured hair following soon after.

"Ready to go, honey?,".

A half-smile seemed to form on the rosette's lips. It seemed that Hope was already starting to get used to giving her pet-names. Well, she would need to get used to it sooner or later now that they were stuck together. Lightning chuckled lightly through her nose, a quiet exhalation of amusement.

"Well, I think I've had enough of the beach," she turned her head towards Hope's, her eyes immediately being caught in his green ones. "Let's go,".

Hope's lips curved into a smile, his face going in to give her one last kiss on the forehead. "Alright then,". The two walked hand-in-hand to the car, the sounds of the ocean waves behind them eventually growing ever so quiet. As they reached the car, Hope was already at the passenger door, opening it up for Lightning. "After you, Claire  _Estheim,"_.

The rosette huffed in amusement as she entered the car, "You're having fun with this, aren't you?,".

All she got as a response was a chuckle from the silverine.

The sound of the driver's door opening and closing filled her ear, followed by the roar of the engine. In the side mirror, the view of the beachside resort and the vast ocean behind it faded into the horizon as the car began to leave. A peaceful silence seemed to fill the air between the newly-wed couple. From the corner of her eye, Lightning could see Hope stealing a few glances at her from time to time, a small smile forming on his lips each time he did so.

"Something on my face, Hope?," she asked teasingly.

With his eyes still on the road, the silverine glanced for a moment at his wife, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Nothing.. other than your beautiful smile and those gorgeous eyes of yours," he said, the words coming out of his mouth sounding as corny as he'd imagined in his head. The rosette rolled her eyes, and if she'd rolled them any harder they would've popped straight out of her eyelids. Her lips curled into a small smile, a part of her flattered at the silverine's attempt at being  _smooth._

"I hope that's not the only reason you married me," the rosette said with a tone of playfulness to her voice.

This time, the teasing smirk on the silverine's lips had faded away, instead replaced by a warm smile, one that was enough to convey all the thoughts within his mind.

"Claire..," the sound of her name rolling off his tongue sent a feeling of warmth coursing through the fibers of her body.

"You're drop dead gorgeous. That's pretty obvious, but.. I love what's inside you as well,". His words had managed to gain her undivided attention, her eyes glancing towards the silverine beside her, his green eyes meeting hers for a split second before going back to look at the road in front of him.

"To everyone else back then, you might've seemed stone-hearted.. or  _scary_  even," the silverine spoke. A small frown formed on the rosette's lips, remembering how she'd been at the start of it all.. full of anger and hatred. Her frown did not go unnoticed by Hope, the silverine immediately continuing his explanation.

"And I thought so too.. until you helped me, Light," the words came out of his lips almost effortlessly, as if no bit of hesitance or doubt was present in his soul. "You guided me, teaching me the most important lesson of all.. that revenge wasn't the right way. From that point on, I knew that you had.. a heart of gold,". His lips curved into a huge smile, his green eyes practically radiating warmth.

She couldn't stop her lips from forming into a smile of her own. The memories of her journey flashed back through her mind. Hope had been the one to change her.. and she'd been the one to change him. Perhaps they were meant for each other after all.

"And now that big lug you wanted revenge on so much is your brother-in-law," she joked, finding the thought of Snow turning from enemy to friend to brother-in-law for Hope somewhat amusing to her.

A laugh escaped his lips. "Yea… life sure has its odd ways of turning out," he said, his hearty laugh echoing throughout Lightning's ears, filling her soul with a feeling of satisfaction.

Time went by, the grassfields and countryside around them slowly changing into buildings upon buildings. They were almost approaching home. Lightning stared out the window, taking in the scenery of the suburban homes around her. But something seemed off to her. She could tell that it wasn't her neighbourhood: the streets, the houses - they all looked different. But the place felt familiar… too familiar. She glanced towards the silverine, seeing a small smirk on his lips, and that alone was indication enough that something was up.

"Alright Hope. Where are we going?," the rosette questioned inquisitively.

His emerald eyes glanced towards her for a moment, his smirk only growing wider on his lips. "You'll see soon," was all he answered.

 _Another surprise…_  she thought to herself. Well, at least his surprises had been rather pleasant… so far. The rosette sighed, her head leaning back against the window. Truth be told, she was too tired for another surprise, but she'd bear with it just for this time. But something still bugged her, the neighbourhood that Hope was driving into seemed almost  _too_ familiar. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

Eventually, the car came to a stop right in front of a medium-sized bungalow. She recognized the house, having been to the place so many times before. "Hope, this is Serah's house. Why are we here?,".

The silverine didn't respond, instead giving her a reassuring smile. The roar of the engine died down as Hope went out of the car. Lightning got out of the car as well, her thoughts still running wild trying to figure the reason he'd brought them here. She saw her husband standing on the sidewalk, his gaze fixed towards the opposite direction of Serah's home.

"Alright Hope, cough it up. Why did you bring us all the way to Serah's place?," she asked inquisitively, a slight hint of annoyance to her voice. She was starting to lose the little patience she had in her. The only response she got from the silverine was the feeling of his hand taking hers, tugging her, leading her across the street.

Across the narrow street the rosette could see a house. It looked rather empty, as if no one had lived in it before. Eventually, Hope came to a stop right in front of the house, his hand releasing its grip on the rosette's and moving into his pocket, digging around for something. After a few seconds, his hand finally brought out what looked like a key.

Hope then approached his wife, bringing her hand up and gently placing the key into her palm. He noticed the look of confusion on Lightning's face, the rosette no doubt unsure of what was even happening. He brought his face closer to hers until they were mere inches apart. The silverine took hold of her hand, rolling her fingers so that she was gripping the keys in her fist. He placed both of his hands around her closed hand, looking straight into her blue eyes.

"This is our new home, Light,".

"W-what?!,".

Lightning was surprised to say the least. Was this the reason why he'd brought them out to Serah's place? This had to be some sort of prank, there was no way he would've done something like this without her even knowing. That was the only reasonable conclusion she could come up with.

"Hey!,". That voice was unmistakable. The rosette's gaze immediately shifted to the source of the voice. Across the road from them stood her brother-in-law, his big arm around her sister's shoulder, big smiles plastered across both of their faces as the two walked over to Hope and Lightning.

"I was starting to wonder when you two would arrive!," Snow said, his voice full of the usual cheerfulness and joy he always seemed to exuberate.

"Wait.. so you two knew about this?,". Her eyebrows cocked into a look of confusion.

Before Snow could say anything, Serah hummed in confirmation. "Mhmm… we've been waiting the whole day for you two. Hope said you'd be here by this morning, but it seems like you two had other  _plans_ ," she said, her eyes taking on a playful look.

The rosette huffed. "Alright, so whose plan was this? This has to be some sort of joke or-,"

Her words were interrupted by the blonde-haired giant's chuckles. "Joke? Sis, this isn't a prank,".

"Yeah, we're just the welcoming party for our  _new neighbours_ ," Serah giggled. She couldn't believe that her sister was having the idea that this was all some sort of elaborate joke.

"Wait.. so this really is-,"

"Yup," Hope finally spoke up. Lightning's gaze turned towards her husband, a smile still apparent on his face. She felt his hands move to take hers, his fingers intertwining with her own. "I know how much you've always wanted to be closer to Serah. So.. I bought a house for us right across the street from them. Consider it a.. gift of sorts,".

This was some  _gift_. Lightning was at a loss for words. Sure she'd always felt a little lonely being so far from Serah back in their old home, but she never once asked to move to a house right across the street from her. Hope had gone through all the effort just so that she could be closer to her sister. But yet..

"And you didn't even ask me..," Lightning said faintly. Faint as it was, her words were loud enough for her sister and brother-in-law to hear.

A frown formed on the younger rosette's lips, worry starting to fill her heart as she tried to read her sister's expression.

"Claire…,", there was an obvious tone of worry to Serah's voice.

A nervous laugh escaped Hope's lips, his hand going up to rub the back of his head almost subconsciously. Now, he was sure he screwed up big time, and he'd be the one at the receiving end of Lightning's reasonably-placed anger.

"W-well.. I mean-,".

Before he knew it, the silverine was already being wrapped in a pair of arms, a pair of soft lips brushing against his cheek for a moment. The scent of roses filled his nostrils, his entire body feeling at ease. He wrapped his own arms around Lightning, enveloping her into a tight embrace. The silverine felt her breath tickled against his ear.

"Thank you," the rosette whispered. She could feel a few stray tears trickle down her cheek.

Hope sighed in relief. "You're welcome,". His lips curved into a smile, his face burying itself into the rosette's soft hair.

"Awww~,". Serah was practically cooing at the sight of Hope and Lightning sharing an intimate hug together. The sight of the two being so loving around each other always managed to melt her heart. Snow on the other hand wasted no time pulling her wife and his in-laws into a group hug. Their bodies were now huddled together, their faces almost being squished by the big man's massive arms.

"Now, you two are officially our neighbours!," he exclaimed in glee, a huge toothy grin plastered across his face. His enthusiasm was infectious, causing smiles to appear on Hope and Lightning's faces as well.

"That just means I'll have to deal with you a lot more," the rosette snarked with her trademark sarcasm.

That managed to earn her a laugh from the blonde. "Well, I guess you're just gonna have to get used to it. Because now.. we're a  _family,"_. The group erupted into laughter. Snow always had a way of bringing people a sense of joy. His charisma was practically infectious.

Hope sighed inwardly, a sense of satisfaction and pure happiness coursing through his very soul. Right in each other's arms, he felt like he belonged. Perhaps this was it, the family he'd always wanted.


	7. A Heartfelt Reveal

**CHAPTER 7: A HEARTFELT REVEAL**

A sigh escaped the rosette's lips, her eyes wincing once again as the rays of light began to shine brightly into her eyes. Green.. green and more green. The scenery of countryside and grass was starting to bore her, and the songs on the radio were starting to get on her nerves. How long had they been on the road anyway? The journey had felt like ages so far, and by the looks of it, they weren't even close to their destination. But, she supposed that where they were headed, it was worth the boredom she'd have to go through for now.

"How much longer 'till we get there, Hope?"

The silverine squinted his eyes, his finger subconsciously going up to rub the bottom of his chin. "Hmm.. probably half an hour, give and take."

The rosette sighed in return, her gaze turning back towards the greenery that zoomed past them.

A few minutes of silence went by, only the sounds of the roaring engine and the radio filling the air between the two.

Hope glanced towards the rosette in the passenger seat, trying to read her expression. He could see her eyes looking downwards, towards her stomach. He noticed that her hand seemed to hover over the area, but never really touching it, and that was enough of a sign for Hope to know that something was bothering his wife. He'd gotten quite good at reading her emotions after spending so much time with her.

"You feeling ok, Light?,".

Her trance-like gaze had been snapped, and her blue eyes turned to look at him. "Y-yea, I'm just..,", her hand that had been hovering over her abdomen seemed to retract itself to the rosette's side.

"It's nothing Hope. I'm fine-,"

"It's about children, isn't it?"

The rosette was taken aback for moment, her face adorning a surprised look. "How did you-,"

"I saw your hand right above your tummy just now. That's enough to give me an idea of what you were so deep in thought about,".

 _Reading me like an open book, eh?_  The rosette sighed, he seemed to have hit the mark on what had been occupying her thoughts.

"Were you thinking about that night again?,". The rosette glanced towards her husband, seeing a look of slight concern on his face. She knew which night he was referring to, but that wasn't what had been commanding her attention a few minutes ago.

"No.. before that.  _Way_  before that,".

Hope put on his usual thinking face again, trying his best to dig out the memory that Lightning was referring to. "Hmm..,".

"Those  _conversations_  we had about children when we were still dating.. do you still remember them?".

His face looked as if a bulb had lit up within his brain. "So is that what you were thinking about?"

Lightning nodded slightly, bringing her head to lean against the window. "We were so unsure, Hope - back then I mean. I didn't even know if I wanted to  _have_ children, moreso  _marry_  you."

From the corner of her eye, she could see the silverine chuckling to himself, followed by a deep sigh coming out from his lips. He turned his head for a moment, his emerald green eyes coming into contact with the rosette's blue ones. "And yet, here we are."

A small smile crept up onto her lips. "Yeah.. I guess so. Things really have changed for the both of us. But..,"

"But what?," the silverine interjected, a puzzled look adorning his facial features.

The rosette sighed, leaning her back deeper into the firm leather seat and crossing her arms. "Remember you told me during one of those  _conversations.._ that you wanted to build your career in the Academy before you had children?,".

"Yea…," he sighed. "I remember."

The silverine cringed at the memory, to think that he was so stupid as to even consider putting his career in the Academy over anything else. He wasn't the leader of humanity anymore, and he knew damn well that the world didn't need him to play politician right now.

Hope could already predict what Lightning was about to ask judging by the small frown on her lips, and his answer would be the same one he'd given during that emotional night six weeks ago.

"If you're going to ask if I still want to go through with this," he said taking her hand in his, "then I'll tell you the same thing I said that night. Yes, I'm sure Light. I wouldn't have it any other way."

The determined and reassuring smile on his lips was enough of a message for Lightning. She sighed, "I don't know why I even asked this. I guess I just.. wanted to make sure."

"Don't worry, Light. We can do this..," he said gripping her hand a little tighter, intertwining his fingers with the rosette's, " _together_ ,".

It was odd, she knew that he was absolutely committed to going through  _this_  with her, but hearing him say it again gave her a feeling of reassurance that her soul seemed to crave for. She sighed deeply, placing her free hand on her stomach, stroking it softly with a loving smile on her face.

Hope glanced towards the rosette, unable to stop a wide smile from creeping up onto his lips as he saw the peaceful look that was practically radiating from Lightning's face. That smile, that sweet and caring smile - it was a mother's smile.

If someone had told him long ago that one day he would become a parent, more so the parent to Lightning's child, he would have laughed at them like they were crazy. Yet here he was, seeing the loving smile of an expecting parent on his wife's face. They were soon going to become parents, and honestly it felt frightening and exciting at the same time.

Truth be told, back then, Hope was just as unsure as Lightning was about becoming a parent, the responsibility of it seeming almost too daunting even for the likes of him. But just a few weeks ago all of that changed when they were finally given the nudge they needed to make their mind about raising a family, and Hope could vividly remember when he found out his life would change forever.

* * *

Rain, the one thing Hope hated the most during his commute back home. It wasn't enough that he'd had a bad day at work. Being the director of the Academy in this new world proved to be as challenging as it was back during the Crystal Age. With all their technological advancements being turned back to zero, the Academy had to rely on using old and ancient tech compared to the sophisticated machines of the old world.

The silverine rubbed his temple, attempting to calm himself in his time of frustration and exhaustion. This really wasn't anything new to him, stress was an old acquaintance of his.

He could barely keep his eyes on the road, his day at work having sapped all the energy out of him. But there was one thing that kept his spirits going, and it was the person he loved the most in the world. The best part of each and every waking day for him was seeing his wife's beautiful face. It still felt like a dream that he was married to her, and they were both going to live out their lives together. Hope sighed deeply, a small smile appearing on his lips as an image of Lightning flashed across his mind.

The only thing illuminating that dark and rainy night were the street lights. He took a deep breath, taking in the scenery of the city around him. Mankind had built itself again at a fast pace after the creation of the new world, and things were starting to look good for them without any fal'Cie or god controlling them.

The city around him slowly turned into suburban neighbourhoods - the tall buildings slowly disappearing, replaced with the scenery of houses lined up side by side.

Eventually, his car finally rolled up towards a house - his humble abode. He parked his car in the driveway, letting out a deep sigh of relief as he switched off the engine. He shut the car door behind him and walked towards the front door.

But the silverine noticed something was off. He saw through a window that the lights in the living room weren't turned on, and usually he would always see them on during a normal day. A feeling in his gut told him something wasn't right.  _Perhaps Light's just cooking in the kitchen,_ he thought to himself. He opened the front door, and as he'd expected, she wasn't anywhere in the living room. He made his way to the kitchen, and to his surprise she wasn't there either.

By now he'd have gotten a kiss or a hug from the rosette - most of the time anyway. Sometimes she'd be out at Serah's house or somewhere at a modeling gig. But she'd always tell him beforehand if she was busy during the night, and so far he hadn't received a single message from her. The silverine couldn't help but feel a tad bit worried, but he shrugged it off as his own paranoia.

"Light, I'm home!" he shouted, trying to at least let her know that he was there.

But no answer came.  _Odd,_  he thought to himself.  _She might just be upstairs, I'm sure she'll come down any minute_.

Hope took off his Academy coat and placed it on the sofa beside him, loosening the blue tie that had been strangling his neck for the entire day. Hope looked around, surprised to see that nothing had even been moved in the kitchen or the living room. It seemed odd to him, Lightning was never one to keep things as neatly and tidy as he did. He plopped down onto the sofa, stretching his aching arms out into the air.  _Guess I'll just wait for her here._

Minutes passed without her ever appearing, even after he had called her a few times.  _Perhaps I'm just being paranoid. But what if she's hurt? Nah.. that's impossible,_  he shrugged to himself.

_But what if..._

His doubts got the better of him and he decided to go upstairs and look for her in one of the rooms. He just couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right. _I'm sure she's fine. She's probably sleeping or showering or something,_ he assured himself, trying so desperately to calm his nerves.

He checked the bathroom first, expecting to see her in the shower, but to no avail. There was only one place left that he could look, the master bedroom. He approached the bedroom door, but something had caused him to stop in his track. From behind the door, he could hear a faint voice, almost like a whisper, muttering to itself. He recognized that voice, not a single ounce of doubt about it.

_Light.._

Turning the doorknob ever so carefully, he slowly pushed open the door, and to his relief saw Lightning at her dresser. Although something was off about her. The rosette was staring into the mirror, as if lost in deep thought. Her disheveled hair seemed to hide the sight of her face from Hope's view.

As the door creaked open, the rosette jolted in surprise. She turned almost instantly towards the silverine at the door, a look of surprise adorning her facial features.

"Hope…" she said in a soft, almost shaky voice, something that was strange for her to do. Her face seemed restless and exhausted, with her bloodshot eyes, the large bags under her eyelids - she looked as if she hadn't slept in ages.

"Light, honey. What's wrong?" Hope asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

The rosette didn't respond, instead looking away from him and down towards the floor.

Her behaviour had only served to confirm his concerns. Something was obviously bothering Lightning, but what? His mind was running wild trying to guess what was disturbing her to the point that she would act this way _. Was it something I did this morning? Wait, was it something I said last night?,_ he began to wonder to himself.

Whatever the reason, he was determined to get to the bottom of it. The silverine approached his wife and gently took hold of her shoulders, leaning his head against the back of hers.

"Light, please.. tell me what's bothering you" he pleaded in a quiet tone.

But Lightning kept silent, continuing to keep her gaze towards the floor, occasionally stealing some glances at the mirror. It was as if she was trying to avoid answering him.. as if she was hiding something from him.

"Please.. I'm worried about you," he pleaded again, this time the tone of worry ever more evident in his voice.

Finally, Lightning reacted. She slowly turned around towards him, but still keeping her gaze downwards. Hope felt the warm touch of her fingers on his hands, feeling her move them down until they sat right above her stomach. A puzzled look formed on the silverine's face.

"Light?" Hope questioned, still confused as to what she was trying to tell him. She didn't say anything, instead bringing her forehead to lean against his, and in the softest voice that he'd ever heard from her, she finally spoke.

"I'm pregnant".

_Woah._

That was the only word that his mind could process at that moment. To say that Hope was stunned would be an understatement, he was every synonym of the word combined! He felt like his soul had just jumped out of his body once he'd heard those 3 words. He wasn't expecting this revelation in the slightest especially that night of all times.

"R-really? How did you-,"

"I used a pregnancy tester this morning," she replied almost instantly. The silverine felt the warm feeling of her hands quickly move away from him, her hands moving towards her pocket.

Hope noticed her reach into her pant pocket, pulling out a small and oblong object - a pregnancy test. The rosette gently placed it in one of Hope's hands. His green eyes seemed to dart back and forth around the object in his hands, his eyes finally focusing upon those two unmistakable lines. Suffice to say, he was speechless.

Lightning kept her gaze downwards, unsure of what reaction Hope would give to all of this. But the reaction that she had gotten out of him was the opposite of what she'd been dreading of all day. Hope wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her so tightly that she thought her ribs would be crushed under the pressure of his arms gripping onto her. She could hear the light smack of the pregnancy test as it fell onto the floor.

"I-I'm going to be a father! Light, you have no idea how happy I feel right now. I...I," he really was at a loss for words. This news alone was enough to redeem the dreadful day he'd gone through just earlier.

She didn't even know whether to be surprised or relieved. All this time, they'd never really decided on anything yet, but they came to a mutual understanding that the best decision was to wait until a few years into their marriage until they were ready to face the enormous responsibility of having children. Now, their marriage hadn't even lasted more than a year..

But somehow a part of her had expected - no, hoped that he'd reacted like this. Yet deep down, another part of her was uncertain.

"So you're fine with all of this?" she asked.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Hope replied, confused as to why Light would even think he would be anything but 'fine' with her pregnancy.

"But Hope, your plans-,"

"Damn those plans if it means having children with you," he said, catching his breath for a moment before continuing. "I know this wasn't what we planned at all, but I don't care. I  _want_  this, Light."

His embrace on her only tightened ever more with each word he uttered. He knew ever since the talks he'd had with Lightning before this that his work as the director of the Academy would be affected once he had children of his own, but damn it was he willing to sacrifice it all if it meant raising his own flesh and blood with the woman of his dreams.

"Light, I... I'd be honored to father your children."

His words had struck a chord deep within her soul, as if the sun had finally burst through the dark clouds of her doubts and worries. It was clear as day that he was ready to go through with her pregnancy, but she could feel that there was still a lingering doubt deep within her  _own_ heart.

Lightning released herself from the embrace and sat herself on the side of the bed, a look of uncertainty apparent on her face.

Hope had expected Lightning to be as thrilled as he was at this pregnancy, but her somber expression had set off multiple alarms within his head. He knew something was eating at her from deep inside, possibly something about this whole pregnancy situation they now found themselves in. He sat down beside her on the bed, trying to read her expression. Hope took her hand into his own, and soon their fingers were interlocked together.

"Light, something's still bothering you, isn't it? You can tell me, please.."

She sighed deeply, leaning her head against Hope's shoulder. The confession she was about to make was going to be hard. Lightning was never one to expose her deepest worries and feelings to anyone, sometimes not even to Serah. However, she had to make an exception for Hope, but deep down, she was scared what he'd think of her after everything was said and done.

Hope waited patiently for Lightning to talk, taking care not to pressure or agitate her in the slightest. He knew that whatever was bothering her must've been pretty heavy if it had caused her to be like this. But no matter what that problem was, he would help Lightning the best he could and more,  _that_  he was sure of.

After what felt like an eternity of gathering her thoughts, she finally spoke up.

"I'm scared Hope..," she said shakily, almost hesitantly.

"Scared?"

Lightning sighed, this would be hard to explain to Hope. All her life she hadn't thought about the day she would become a parent, survival and Serah's safety being the only things that occupied her mind back in the old world.

But now that she knew she was pregnant - that she was going to be a mother, her past experiences were coming back to haunt her, surfacing themselves from deep within the depths of her soul. And she was having a hard time coming to terms with the responsibility she was going to bear soon.

She took a deep breath. It was now or never, and she needed it off her chest.

"Of being a mother," she hastily stated.

"What?". Hope seemed confused, thinking if he'd even heard her correctly.

Lightning was beginning to lose her calm. She loved the man to bits, really, but sometimes he could be so dense it would drive her nuts. She couldn't take it anymore, her pent up feelings and worries were beginning to overwhelm her to the breaking point. It was like her mind no longer had control over the emotions that were intensifying within her heart. The emotions were beginning to boil inside her, rising up to the surface and bursting out impulsively and uncontrollably.

"Damn it Hope! Don't you understand?! I'm scared! Scared of being a mother alright!" she finally snapped, her eyes wide and full of fury.

Hope was startled, his eyes wide open, and Lightning could see the shock evident within his emerald eyes. Lightning instantly regretted her decision, and she was starting to hate herself for that outburst of hers. She couldn't look Hope in the eye anymore, turning her gaze away once again from her husband, too ashamed of what she'd done.

The silence that followed was unbearable. It had only allowed the guilt and regret of her outburst to crawl its way deeper into her heart. Hope was at a loss for words, unsure of how to even respond to any of this. That night sure felt like an absolute roller coaster of emotions. One moment he was on cloud nine finding out that he was going to be a father, and the next he was confronting his wife's painful confession.

He couldn't let the silence drag on for any longer, he needed to say something to her and fast before anything worse could happen. Perhaps he too needed to reveal his own underlying feelings about this whole situation they were in now. He mustered up the courage to do something risky, but it would at least get rid of the tense air surrounding them now.

He gently placed his hand on his wife's cheek, gently coaxing her face to look towards him. Even with her face so closely in front of his, he still couldn't get her to look him in the eyes. He needed to do something. He took a leap of faith, pressing his lips against hers, hoping that it would ease the tension between them, and show that he wasn't the least bit angry over her recent outburst.

His reaction had surprised Lightning, feeling her gasp into his lips. Her lips were unmoving at first, but yet she felt an overwhelming peace build up within her once she felt her husband's soft lips against hers. She responded back, kissing him passionately, taking a hold of Hope's hands and interlocking her fingers with his. Before she could enjoy the kiss any further, Hope pulled away, going up to gently kiss her forehead.

Lightning couldn't help but blush at his gesture. She had a sweet spot for forehead kisses that she didn't know she had until Hope and her got together, but she'd never admit that to anyone. Sighing deeply, she could feel the tension in her heart flow out of her as Hope held his kiss on her forehead. She was still amazed at how Hope could easily make her feel all sorts of things.

After what seemed like ages kissing her forehead, Hope pulled his lips away from the rosette and rested his forehead against hers.

"Light, I'm sorry I didn't understand what you were trying to tell me sooner," he apologized, his voice quiet and full of empathy.

"But Hope, I should be the one to apolo-"

Before she could continue, he placed a finger on her lips. "No, you don't."

He took a deep breath and looked deeply into her eyes. He wanted to let her know from the bottom of his heart that she wasn't alone, that even he was… afraid.

"Truth is Light, I feel the same way as you do. I'm scared too… of being a father… a parent," he sighed. "Knowing that I'm going to be raising a child, Light - I.. I don't even know if I'm prepared for this."

"But I know that we can do this together," he assured her, enthusiasm pouring out from his voice, holding her hands as tight as he could and giving a reassuring smile. "Because you and I are  _partners_."

Lightning stared deeply into his emerald green eyes. She could see the intense determination burning within them, the determination to go through this new stage of their lives together. It felt reassuring to know that he felt the same way as her, but the memories of her past held onto her heart with an iron grip and continued to feed doubt into her mind.

"Hope, answer me honestly," she looked deeply into his eyes, taking on a serious look, making sure he understood the weight of the question she was about to ask. "Am I a good person?".

"What? W-what are you talking about Light?". Hope was absolutely flabbergasted that she would even think about such a thing in the first place. He didn't even know how to respond to such a question. "Light, look at me. You have the soul of an angel, you.. you saved me and countless others!" he exclaimed.

"That's because it was my job, Hope.. as the Saviour," she sighed.

If Hope didn't feel confused and frustrated with his situation before, he sure as hell did now. He just couldn't seem to piece together what Lightning was trying to tell him. Who could blame him, his exhausted mind had gone through so much in the span of an hour, especially after coming home from an intense day at work.

"Light, I don't understand-,"

"I let my sister die, Hope!" she cried. "I… I even threatened to kill her myself..,"

* * *

"This is ridiculous. Worst birthday ever."

The air was tense in the Farron household, the birthday decorations and the delightful food on the table not helping to enlighten the situation that the three of them had found themselves in.

Lightning sat across the table, her arms crossed with a frustrated look on her face. She couldn't believe what had even come out of her younger sister's mouths just moments earlier.

"You become a l'Cie, and now you're saying that you're gonna marry  _this_ idiot?"

Her older sister's words felt like a stab to her heart, her glare of daggers not helping the situation in the slightest. Serah was speechless, trying her best to hold it in. Her fiancè stood beside her, so desperately trying to ease the tension between the two sisters.

Lightning rose up from her seat, continuing to give a death glare towards the blonde in front of her. The hate that had been pent up within was starting to show its true form.

She turned her gaze towards the petite rosette beside him. "Don't forget, if you really are a l'Cie, it's my job to  _deal_ with you," she hissed.

"S-sis…"

A tear drop trickled down her cheek. Serah couldn't hold it back any longer, letting the tears fall freely from her face. Before she knew it, she was already dashing out the front door, sobbing uncontrollably with each step she took. All she wanted was to get away from there. The one person she thought she could confide in had instead shunned her, her sister's painful words only feeding the fear that was starting to consume her soul. She was scared.. afraid of what would happen to her now that she had a brand of a l'Cie. She felt so alone...

"Wait, Serah!," Snow called out. But it was all too late, the younger Farron was already out of there within seconds.

That was it, the last straw. He of all people knew how strict Lightning could be, but now... now she'd crossed the line. He slammed his fists onto the table, still in shock at what Lightning had just said. "You're shutting her out. She's your own sister!"

She huffed, her rage boiling within her. There was no way she was going to let some  _idiot_ like Snow Villiers talk against her. "That's it, Snow. Get out of my house!" she shouted, slamming her fists against the table.

Snow felt defeated, knowing that nothing else was going to change the stubborn soldier's tone. "Fine!" he huffed. "I'll do it.  _I'll_ protect her."

Now.. it was just her. She stood there alone, surrounded by food and presents. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, yet.. it seemed that the only person celebrating her birthday was herself. Was it really worth it, just to prove her point?

* * *

The bitter memories of her 21st birthday flooded back into her mind. She remembered with agonising detail the moment she caused her beloved sister to run out of their house crying, and it would all lead to the Purge that had brought Cocoon down. Intimidation tactic as it may be, she couldn't help but feel that her younger sister really did think that she would go so far as to kill her. If only she could take back those words she'd said.

But she wished that was the only thing eating away at her. Inside her mind, she could never wipe away the fact that she was the one that had led Serah on through a task that was nothing  _but_  a suicide mission. Serah's victory against Caius had ultimately sealed her fate to die and become trapped in chaos for centuries to come. How could she have done something so foolish?

The memories were all too much to bear, her sins from centuries past coming to haunt her to no end. She felt like she could break apart, the raging voices in her head unrelentingly darkening her thoughts with doubt and gloom.

Even with Serah back and alive, she couldn't forgive herself for what she had done to her. In her mind, nothing could ever redeem her of the horrible things she'd done to her sister.

"I… I don't deserve to be a mother."

"Light…"

The pieces were finally coming together in the silverine's mind. He finally understood what had been eating at her beloved wife's heart all this time. Lightning was practically like a mother to Serah, and even after centuries had past, she still bore the enormous guilt of Serah's death and suffering. The fact that she had failed to protect Serah, the thought alone must've been destroying her from within.

Her stone-cold demeanor and her stoicness had buried her true guilt and shame for centuries, but now that she had finally come to accept her feelings, she couldn't help but feel all of it so intensely.

Soon, the tears wouldn't stop coming, and eventually she didn't even care to hold them back anymore. Her heart had bore this overwhelming guilt for centuries, and now it was aching to finally let it all out. She crawled into herself, sobbing quietly, hiding her face in her hands from Hope's gaze so he couldn't see the shameful image of herself in this state.

Seeing his wife in such a state made Hope feel so useless. He didn't know what to do to console her. All he could do was hug her tightly and stroke her pink hair softly, letting her cry her heart out onto his shoulder. He could feel his shirt getting damp from the tears, each and every one of her sobs feeling like a twisted stab to the heart.

"How can I expect myself to take care of a child if..," she sobbed, her voice muffled by her endless sobs. "-If I couldn't even protect my own sister."

"No… no Light, that's not true" he soothed her. He kissed her cheek, it was all he could do to calm her down.

"Think about it. Here we are in this new world...," he said. "Serah's right across the street, living happily with Snow and their little baby. You went through so much to get her back, you even went against God! You don't have to feel guilty for what you did anymore, Light. Because in the end, she's living happily just like you've always dreamed about."

Before long, her sobs had quieted down. All that Hope could hear were her quiet sniffles. Lightning wanted to believe what Hope had said, yet doubt still plagued her heart.

"How do I know I can even do this, Hope?," she asked, pulling away from the embrace, looking deeply into Hope's eyes.

For all her life she had fought fal'Cies and gods. Yet raising a child felt like it would be her greatest challenge yet.

"Because I'll always be there for you. We'll do this together, the both of us. We'll do this right," he assured her, placing his hands on her stomach. "I promise."

Knowing that his own flesh and blood was growing right there, it felt almost magical. Soon, in less than a year, he was going to be a father, something he still couldn't believe was really happening. Lightning followed suit, placing her hands over his. She leaned her head on Hope's forehead as her hand went to caress his cheek, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. At that moment, she finally felt peace, as if the weight on her heart that had come to nearly break her had finally been lifted after so long.

"I just hope you're right..," she breathed out as she slowly pulled away from the silverine. "I just need to know if we can do this."

"A certain someone once told me that it isn't a matter of can or can't."

She let out a sigh, "Some things in life.. you just do." A small smile crept up to her lips as she finished his sentence.

Hope couldn't even count the amount of times her words all those centuries ago had kept him going. Now, it seemed everything had come full circle.

"I.. love you, Hope," she sighed as she leaned her head against his, letting her eyes come to a close, finally feeling relaxed after having spent her waking hours so caught up with her own fears.

A sense of relief washed over the silverine, cleansing his mind of all the worries and stress that had befallen him earlier. That night had been a roller coaster of emotions for him, and he could use a nap sooner or later. But it all worked out in the end. And soon, they were going to experience a new stage of life, together.

"I love you too."


	8. Closure

"Light, we can do it another day if you don't want to."

They stood outside the Villiers household, standing at the front door for what had seemed like hours. Lightning sighed. She couldn't keep delaying her reveal like this, especially not to her sister.

"Urgh," she groaned. She honestly was not ready to tell her sister the life-changing news that she had. Heck, she wasn't even sure herself if she was ready about any of this. But it was either now or never.

"No, it's fine Hope. We're doing this today,". Hope nodded in understanding, standing closely by her side so that she'd be much more at ease. Last night had been hectic, to say the least, and they were still coming to terms with the fact that they were going to be parents. It was all just beginning to sink in to the both of them.

She stepped closer to the door, lifting her hand up to press the doorbell.

 _Ding dong_.

Now all she had to do was wait for them to open the door. Minutes passed, yet nobody had answered. Lightning stood there impatiently, almost feeling like giving up and walking home.

"Perhaps they're just busy..," Hope said trying to reassure her. But just as he'd said that, the door opened to reveal Snow, with little Austin Villiers sleeping soundly in his father's arm.

"Oh, hey lil' bro, sis," the tall, blonde man greeted with a wide smile to his face. No matter how many times he'd heard it, Hope still couldn't get used to the new nickname that Snow had taken to calling him. Normally he'd protest, but today he'd let it slide seeing his little nephew sleeping soundly in his brother-in-law's arms.

"Hehe.. sorry if I kept you guys waiting. Just got done putting this little fella to sleep," he apologised before grinning towards the blonde-haired baby resting in his arms.

"It's ok Snow..," Hope trailed, feeling his eyes oddly fixated towards his tiny nephew in Snow's huge arms. A small smile crept up to his lips at the sight of the father and son. Snow almost seemed like a natural at this whole parenting thing, and the silverine could only hope he'd be as good as he was once the time came.

He quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts, remembering why they'd showed up in the first place. "Hey, can we come in? We've…. got something important we have to tell you guys," Hope said whilst glancing at Lightning.

"Oh sure. Come on in then!" Snow said in a hushed yet enthusiastic tone.

Lightning smiled at the sight of her little nephew sleeping in Snow's arms. She couldn't help but stroke his blonde hair gently, taking care not to accidentally wake him up. It felt like just yesterday she was there to see him bundled up in Serah's arms, the absolute joy and love she saw in her sister's eyes as she looked lovingly at her newborn baby.

Truth be told, Lightning had always held a certain feeling of resentment towards children. She'd find them annoying, loud, obnoxious - well, really she just saw everyone else the same way too. But recently ever since her nephew was born, her entire mindset had been turned on its head. At first, she felt awkward around Austin, always feeling apprehensive whenever Serah would invite her to hold him. She just never saw herself as a children-person, and the last thing she wanted to do was to handle a baby.

But when she finally gave in to her younger sister's insistence, when she finally held the tiny human being in her arms.. she felt a change deep within her heart. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. To hold her baby nephew in her arms, looking into his tiny little pupils, seeing his little hand reach out to her face in curiosity - she felt a certain sense of peace overwhelm her mind, as if it had been the one thing her soul had been craving for all this time.

It was then that she knew that something had clicked within her, and soon enough she found herself at her sister's house, often being there just to hold or even play with her little nephew. She knew from the deepest crevices of her soul that she wanted to have this - to have her own child in her life.

But she was scared. She damn well knew that she wasn't the kind and lovable person that Serah was - her younger sister was practically perfect to be a mother. No, Lightning was the stone-cold and stoic soldier that everyone always seemed to be afraid of, and this had only further cemented the deep-rooted doubts she had about becoming a parent.

"Oh hey guys."

Her flurry of thoughts were cut short once she saw Serah appear from the living room, putting on her usual warm and loving smile that she always had for her sister and brother-in-law.

She gave a quick hug to Hope and Lightning, something she had made a sort of tradition of doing everytime they came to her house. Even if they did live literally across the street, she still felt a sense of joy and happiness every time her close family came to visit.

Hope and Lightning sat down on one of the couches, Serah sitting right across from them. Snow disappeared upstairs, possibly putting little Austin in a crib, arguably a much more comfortable place for the little one to sleep than in the living room.

"So I heard you guys had something to tell us. What is it, something big?," Serah asked with her usual sweet smile ever present on her face.

"Yea.. I guess you could call it that..," Hope said, glancing back and forth at Lightning, trying to see her expression.

Lightning's mind was racing trying to think of the best way to reveal her pregnancy to her sister.  _Damn it_ , she thought to herself. Why was it so hard for her to tell her sister, one of the closest people in her life, that she was pregnant? She felt unprepared, uncertain about all of this, and her confession to Hope last night was only making all of this harder for her. But she needed to get this weight off her chest, now or never.

"Serah…,". Her heart was pounding, and from the corner of her eye she could see Hope give a reassuring smile to her. She felt the warmth of his hand on hers, his fingers gently stroking the palm of her hand, and thankfully it helped ease her mind a little. It always seemed that he had that sort of calming effect on her.

She took a deep breath. This was it..

"I'm pregnant."

At that moment, it seemed that everything that Serah previously had on her mind had disappeared. She couldn't believe it. Had she heard her sister correctly? She was pregnant? It didn't take long until realisation struck her.  _She's pregnant!_ , her mind screamed in glee. Serah couldn't contain her joy any longer, and squealed in childlike glee as she nearly toppled her sister in a hug.

"Oh my god, Claire! I can't believe it!" she squealed like a little child who had just gotten a surprise present from her parents on a holiday morning.

"Snow! Snow, sweetie!," she shouted at the top of her lungs, still maintaining her tight embrace on her big sister. "Claire's pregnant!". She couldn't help herself, she wanted her husband to know the good news as well. Snow came down the stairs in a hurry, wanting to know what all the commotion was about.

"Honey, Claire's pregnant!" Serah repeated to her husband again once she saw him appear in the living room.

Snow couldn't believe his ears. Was it really true?

"No way!" he exclaimed. Beside her sister-in-law he could see Hope sitting beside her with a wide grin on his face, and that was all it took to convince him.

Hope couldn't contain his joy, grinning widely knowing that he was going to become a father soon. Before he knew it, Hope was almost being crushed to death by the arms of the blonde-haired giant. But, he guessed he wouldn't mind it this time.

"I'm so proud of you lil' bro,". Snow genuinely felt so happy that his family was only growing larger. To know that Hope was finally going to become a father filled him with unbridled joy. But most importantly..

"I can't wait to be an uncle! They're all gonna enjoy playing with their awesome Uncle Snow!," he beamed in excitement.

Hope chuckled. "Sure, Snow,". He'd always admired his brother-in-law's contagious enthusiasm.

Serah on the other hand was all too happy that her sister had finally made the decision to have children, and she could tell by Hope's wide grin that he too was overjoyed to become a father. Soon they'd know the joy of parenthood, and she was all too happy to help them prepare for all that was to come.

Deep inside her heart, she knew that this was what they both deserved. She was all too familiar with what Hope and Lightning had gone through back during the Crystal Age. After centuries of suffering, a new life of joy and peace in this new world was what they deserved.

She sighed internally, remembering the look of longing in his eyes when they had met at the Bresha Ruins almost a millenia ago. She knew all too well the longing he felt for Lightning, having lost her through the annals of time. But to see him so excited about raising a family with Lightning had touched the deepest parts of her heart. She was so proud for the both of them, and she couldn't help but shed a few tears of joy.

Lightning noticed the teardrops flowing down her sister's cheeks, becoming a little concerned at the sight. "Serah?," Lightning asked, a hint of concern to her voice.

Serah looked at her sister with a look full of love and warmth, the teardrops glistening in her eyes. "I'm so happy for you guys, Claire. You two really deserve this,".

"And Hope, you c'mere too," Serah called out to her brother-in-law. She enveloped him in a loving hug as well, tears of joy dripping down her cheeks. At that moment, Hope couldn't feel any more happier, embracing Serah in a tight hug as well.

Before he knew it, Snow had pulled the four of them together into a group hug. Snow and Hope chuckled, while Serah and Lightning had wide smiles on their faces. Who'd've imagined that they'd all end up like this, as a close family, with bonds as strong as ever. They truly were a family, and they'd always be.

"If you guys need help, anything at all, you can count on us! Right honey?," Snow assured them enthusiastically.

"Yeah, we'll be here for the both of you, every step of the way," Serah exclaimed full of enthusiasm and warmth to her voice as well.

"Thank you, really. It means a lot to us,". Lightning smiled, knowing that she could count on the both of them to help her get through this new stage of her life.

"Hey don't mention it sis. We're family. We'd do anything for you guys!," Snow said pulling them tighter together in the group hug with his usual confident grin on his face. For once, Lightning felt glad to hear Snow call her sis. Even if she did despise him all those years ago, she couldn't be anymore happier to have him as a brother-in-law.

* * *

They'd spent almost a few hours just chatting with each other in Serah's house. Now, Snow had dragged Hope to god knows where, so it was just Serah and Lightning alone together. For the past hour, all she'd heard coming out from her younger sister's mouth were her experiences during her pregnancy.

"So obviously you'll get some mood swings and the usual cravings," she continued on with her explanation.

"So it isn't all sunshine and rainbows then.. is it?," the elder rosette commented.

Serah chuckled, "Yeah, it isn't always a pleasant experience some times. But I'm sure with Hope around, you'll do just fine, sis."

Lightning sighed internally. Sometimes when her worries and doubts started to get to her, she'd forget that Hope would be there for her every step of the way. Perhaps Serah was right, this whole journey would be fine with him around. But truth be told, she couldn't care less about what would happen during the pregnancy. In fact, she was sure she'd face worse during her time as a soldier and as a l'Cie. No.. she was worried about what would come after.

"Serah..," she spoke faintly.

The younger rosette hummed as she turned her gaze towards her older sister. "Hmm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Serah noticed that her older sister's expression looked rather serious, as though there was something troubling her mind.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you..," she breathed in. As she began to open her mouth to let the words out, she felt them being caught in her throat, as if her mind was actively preventing her from asking the question.  _No.. this is stupid,_ her mind nagged. _Why am I even asking this?_

The rosette immediately shrugged it off, choosing not to go ahead with her question. "You know what, nevermind. It's nothing-,"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she then felt the warmth of a pair of hands enveloping her own. The rosette looked up, the sight of Serah with a reassuring smile immediately catching her eye.

"Sis, please. You can tell me," the younger sister reassured in a gentle voice. It was too late, it seemed that her little sister had already caught on to her behaviour. There was no way out of this now.

Lightning sighed, giving in to her gnawing desire to reveal her deepest feelings to her sister.

"Do you think that I'm..," she swallowed a lump in her throat. "..good enough to be a mother?" Her voice was faint, almost like a whisper.

Serah was taken aback at her sister's question. Good enough? To be a mother?

"W-what?," she tripped on her words for a moment, too surprised at her sister's odd question. "Claire, what are you saying? Of course you're good enough! Heck I  _know_ that you're more than good enough. I thinkthat you'll be the best mom there is!" the younger Farron said with enthusiasm.

Lightning on the other hand sat in silence, taking in all of her sister's words. She didn't know whether to truly believe her words or not. Really, all she wanted was to believe what Hope and Serah had been saying, yet it felt so hard. It was as if her mind had only been burying her doubts deeper and deeper into her head with each passing moment.

"Even after everything I've done to you, everything I've put you through, you still believe that?" she questioned, unable to bring herself to look her sister in the eye.

Serah was puzzled. "Everything you've  _done_  to me? Sis, what are you talking about?"

"Serah, I..," she didn't want to bring this up, but she needed to, she  _had_ to. "I let you die..," Lightning said faintly.

Serah was absolutely aghast at her sister's words. A flurry of thoughts started to spring up all over her mind. Was this what had been troubling her mind? How long had her sister felt like this?

"Claire, no..," even the memories of those days were enough to send shivers down her spine. Those centuries she'd spent trapped in the Chaos, she didn't even have the heart nor the willpower to think back to those times ever again.

She acted immediately, wrapping her arms around Lightning. The older Farron was a little taken aback at her gesture, but she didn't waste any time in responding back with a hug.

It took some time until the younger Farron finally spoke, taking her time trying to gather her thoughts. Her sister had been living so long with the heavy guilt of her death, and she needed to dispel it once and for all.

"Claire, the past is the past. What happened back then.. it.. it doesn't matter anymore. Because now I have you here. We're together now."

"But Serah-,"

"But nothing, sis," she interjected. She sighed before continuing, "Everything I did back then was my own choice, so that someday I might see you again. Those years after the Fall, well they were tough without you, so I took the only chance I had so that I could finally be with you again."

She faced Lightning, looking deeply into her eyes as she tried to read her expression. There was still a layer of doubt within those blue eyes of hers, Serah could tell.

"Claire, please… I don't want you to think that you're ever going be a bad mother just because of what happened all those years ago. Because I know for a fact that you're going to be a  _great_  mom! You took care of me after.. after mom died, and you protected more than anyone ever has. If that doesn't show you that you're good enough.. t-then I don't know what will!"

Lightning was silent, not a single word coming out of her mouth. Serah could only hope that it was simply her sister's way of showing that she understood it all, that she didn't have to bear the guilt of her death any longer - not after everything she'd done for her.

Finally, she felt her sister's embrace on her tighten. She felt surprised once she heard a little sniffle beside her as Lightning buried her face into her shoulder. She could only hug her beloved sister harder.

"Thank you… Serah," Lightning whispered into her sister's ear.

Now, it felt like the weight she'd been carrying for so long had finally been lifted. Hope's words the night before had no doubt helped eased her guilt, but to hear it from Serah herself - it was all she really needed to let it all out of her soul once and for all.

"Don't mention it, sis. I just want you to know that you're the best sister I could ever ask for, and I  _know_  that you'll be a great mom," she said sincerely. "I'm sure of it."

They sat there bundled up in each other's arms as Lightning finally opened up the dark fears within her heart to her little sister. No more doubts, no more concerns. The troubles of the past were just that, the  _past_ , and now.. now she could finally move on.

From the sidelines of the living room, the silverine peeked from behind the doorway. Throughout the entire conversation, he had heard it all, taking care not to reveal his presence. Snow had gone up to take care of little Austin, so Hope was left all alone. But what he'd heard from Serah had filled him with an overwhelming sense of peace. To know that his wife had finally received the closure that she so desperately needed - well, all he could do was smile with a few tears in his eyes.

* * *

"I think we're almost there."

Lightning was once again pulled out of her thoughts. She shook her head, trying to regain focus of where they were right now after having been in her own world for what felt like the past half-an-hour. The green fields and countryside that had dotted the scenery had now turned into small buildings and towns. This was it, they were almost close.

"Yeah.. looks like it," the rosette replied.

"You ready, Light?," the silverine asked as he shot a small smile at his wife.

A small half-smile crept up to her lips. "Ready as I'll ever be."


	9. Advice to Remember

Their car drove along the narrow roads of the small town, small houses and shops lining the streets. It was a nice change of scenery from the hustle and bustle of the city. The outskirts always seemed more peaceful, a lot more soothing to the soul. The patches of greenery among the small buildings was different from the skyscrapers of the city. The air even felt different. It was pretty obvious why the people they were about to meet had chosen to live there in a small town instead of the city.

Lightning held her gaze towards the scenery, taking it all in. It had been weeks since she had last been to that town. She sighed, leaning her head against the car window. Closing her eyes, breathing in. Almost a month.. that was how long it'd been since she last saw  _them.._ and  _her._

"Nervous?" Hope asked, glancing at the rosette in the passenger seat.

"No… maybe. I don't know," Lightning sighed, a hint of uncertainty evident in her voice.

"Did you tell them yet?" she began to ask his husband, opening her eyes to the sight of him with a smile on his lips.

"No, not yet," he said, with an obvious tone of excitement in his voice. "I wanted this to be a surprise."

"I hope you don't mind, Light," he asked. Lightning had always been one to take her private life very seriously, and Hope was potentially jumping the shark by not telling the people they were going to meet beforehand about her pregnancy.

"I guess I don't," she sighed. "It'd be nice to tell them myself," she said softly, subconsciously placing her hand on her stomach.

A smile crept up to the silverine's lips once again as he saw the rosette's hand on her belly.

She was 4 weeks into her pregnancy, and no baby bump had formed yet. But it was almost magical to her that someone was growing inside of her, her own child -  _their child._ She could never have imagined that one day she would be bearing Hope's child. She never imagined a millenia ago that one day Hope would be her husband, and they'd both be raising a family together. The thought of it alone was enough to melt her heart.

Hope came to a stop in front of a moderately-sized home, a garden of roses and sunflowers adorning the front yard. This was it, their destination. The row of sunflowers planted neatly on both sides of the front door was a sure sign that they were at the right place.

The silverine sighed. This was it, the moment they had been waiting for.

The roar of the engine died down as he took the keys out from the keyhole. He got out and briskly walked to the other side of the car, opening the passenger door and holding it open for his wife.

"Always a gentleman, aren't you Hope?," Lightning said, giving him a kiss on the cheek as a reward for his polite gesture.

Hope chuckled. "I try to be, especially around you." He helped her out of the car, closing the door behind Lightning as she inched towards the house in front of them.

Lightning swallowed a lump in her throat. It had been so long since she had last been to this house. Weeks, months even. And in those months things had undoubtedly changed for her, and for Hope.

Hope instinctively held Lightning's hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. Just his presence beside her was enough to calm the raging thoughts within her head.

Lightning looked up to her husband's face, seeing him give his usual reassuring smile.

She sighed. "This is it."

Both of them, hand in hand, walked towards the front door. A mix of anxiousness and excitedness filled their hearts, unable to wait any longer to tell the people on the other side of that door their life-changing news.

Hope lifted his hand to knock against the oakwood door.

_Knock knock._

"Coming!" a feminine voice immediately answered from the other side. Sounds of hurried footsteps could be heard, followed by the cling and clang of the locks.

The door wooshed open in an instant, revealing an ashen-haired middle aged woman, a beige sweater adorning her figure. There was a look of unbridled joy on the woman's face as her eyes finally met the sight of Hope and Lightning.

"Hope!," she squealed, wasting no time in wrapping her arms around the silverine. She brushed her fingers along his hair, smooching his face relentlessly. The silverine was helpless, unable to stop his face from turning into a bright shade of red.

"It's been so long, Hope," the silver-haired woman said between her unending kisses and smooches.

Hope smiled as he let out a little laugh. "It's nice to see you too, mom."

Lightning smiled at the sight of the mother and son bonding with each other. She longed for something like that in her life. It had been so long since she'd had someone she could look up to as a mother figure. She sighed internally, feeling envious of Hope. It seemed that even in this new world, fate would dictate that she would never see her mother again. Her face scrunched into a slight frown at the realisation.

The rosette's thoughts were interrupted once she felt a pair of arms being wrapped around her neck.

"I've missed you too, Claire," Nora said, the immense love she had for her daughter-in-law evident in her gentle voice.

To Lightning, Nora wasn't just her mother-in-law, she was more than that - she was almost like an actual mother to her. The love and care that the ashen-haired lady seemed to exemplify was enough to pull even Lightning in, and it made her feel at ease and calm in her presence. Few people in her life could do that to her, people like Serah and Hope. Ever since they'd met in the new world, the rosette found herself becoming much closer with her.

Heck, the woman had even gotten close to Serah as well, the three of them spending much more time together than she'd ever imagined. For evenings and afternoons on end, the three of them would often hang out at Serah's or any random cafe. Sometimes, it almost felt like they were hanging out like a pair of daughters and their mother. Lightning always seemed to find herself deep in conversation whenever Nora was with her. It didn't really matter what they were talking about, because to Lightning, it just felt nice to have someone she could open up to - besides her sister or Hope..

However, ever since Nora and Bartholomew moved away to the countryside, she soon noticed that the times she'd spend with her mother-in-law were getting ever so rare and infrequent. But now that she was finally with her after so long, she felt home again.

Lightning hugged her back tightly, feeling Nora softly stroke her back in return. She felt comfortable in her arms, feeling a sense of belonging that she rarely ever experienced in her life.

"Me too, Nora… me too."

A middle aged man with brown-coloured hair appeared from the door, a pair of spectacles donning his face. His face lit up almost instantly at the sight of his one and only son and his daughter-in-law.

"Son!"

"Hey dad." Before he knew it, he was already being embraced in a tight hug.

"It's good to finally see you again," Bartholomew said, patting his son's back.

"Yea, it sure is dad."

Bartholomew released his embrace on the silverine, moving towards Lightning and shaking her hand welcomingly. "It's nice to see you too, Claire," he greeted with a warm smile on his face. The rosette smiled in return.

Ah.. Bartholomew. She'd remembered the dangerous deed he'd done for all of the l'Cie those centuries ago. To harbour them in his home - the man had some guts. But now in this new world, it felt nice for Lightning to see Hope and him together again, something that she herself couldn't witness after their victory.

"Come on in you two, make yourself at home," invited the silver-haired woman.

The couple stepped into the house, a pang of nostalgia flashing through their heads. It had only been a month, but with everything that had happened, it had felt like an entire lifetime since they'd been to that cozy little home.

"Now you two just sit right here, I'm gonna go prepare us some drinks," Nora said with a smile, ushering the two of them into the living room.

Hope wanted to say it was fine, that she didn't have to do that - it was the courteous thing to do. But knowing her mother, she was already gone in an instant, off into the kitchen to make some sort of drink for all of them.

The two of them sat down on the sofa, Bartholomew sitting beside them on an armchair.

"So, how's work at the Academy, Hope?" Bartholomew began to ask, probably just to strike up a conversation with his son.

Lightning rolled her eyes internally.  _Of course he'd ask something like that._  It was no mystery where the silverine had gotten his workaholic nature from. She sighed to herself,  _like father like son.._

Hope on the other hand didn't seem to mind the question at all, already blabbering on about all of the things he'd had in mind about his work to his father. It was nice to see Hope be so passionate about his work, but Lightning hoped that he wouldn't become consumed by it… especially now that they were expecting.

Finally, after what had felt like ages, Nora appeared from the kitchen with a tray of drinks resting on her hands.

"I hope I didn't keep you two waiting," she said, placing down the drinks onto the table.

"Not at all, Nora," the rosette replied with a small smile.

Lightning breathed a sigh of relief. At least now that Nora was back, she wouldn't feel so left out.. and they could finally get on to doing what they came all the way here for. Hope felt the same way, eager and anxious to tell the news of Lightning's pregnancy to her mother. Unbeknownst to him, his leg was jittering and shaking by itself, a sign of his anxiousness.

Nora plopped herself down onto the sofa beside them.

"So Claire, how's Serah doing? It's been so  _long_  since I've last seen her," the ashen-haired lady asked as she brought a glass of the drink up towards her lips.

The rosette thought it was endearing of her to still think about her sister. "She's fine.. but she does keep telling me that she misses you a lot," she replied back.

A pleasant smile crept up to Nora's lips. "Aww, I miss her too. We should really meet up again one of these days. And it's been so long since I've seen that adorable baby of hers-,"

_Ting~_

Her eyes shot up in surprise. "Oh my! I think that's the roast chicken in the oven. I can't believe I forgot all about it," she stated in surprise as she began to get up from her seat.

 _Dammit._ Hope couldn't wait any longer, he needed to tell her now. "M-mom wait," the silverine interjected, causing Nora to stop in her tracks as she gave a curious look to her son.

"What is it sweetie?," she asked lovingly, a sweet smile plastered on her face.

The silverine swallowed a lump in his throat. It was then that he felt the warmth of Lightning's hand on his own. He glanced momentarily at her, his eyes being caught in her blue ones. There was a look of reassurance in them, giving him the needed boost to reveal the news to his parents.

 _This is it._  "Mom, dad...," he began.

Bartholomew shot his son a puzzled look, his eyebrows furrowing into themselves as he brought up a glass of the drink to his lips. Nora sat back down onto the sofa, eager to hear what Hope wanted to tell her.

"Claire's pregnant."

It was silence at first, until realisation finally struck.

" _Puhh_ ~."

In utter shock and surprise, Bartholomew had spat out the drink that he'd just sipped, coughing and wheezing for a moment as he tried to regain back his composure. He beated his chest repeatedly, trying to clear out the liquid from his throat.

Nora was at a loss for words. "Oh my goodness, oh my.." Her head was spinning. Was this really happening? She lifted her hand up to her forehead, her back leaning further into the sofa. The revelation was still taking time to process in her head.

"M-mom?"

The wide-eyed smirk that was plastered all across Hope's lips soon disappeared, a look of concern beginning to form on his face instead. Lightning turned to Hope, her eyes apparent with worry as well. Perhaps they had revealed the news a little too suddenly.

Their concerns were instantly washed away once Nora embraced the both of them, her arms wrapping around them tightly. She had practically leapt up from her seat, pulling the two into a passionate hug.

"Congratulations!" she squealed in joy. "Oh my god I'm so proud of you two! I can't believe you two are actually going to be parents!" she cried out delightfully.

"Heh.. neither can we," Lightning murmured under her breath.

The day that her not-so-little Hope would be having children was finally here. Well, he didn't have children yet, but he was going to have one soon!

"And that means I'm going to be a grandmother!" she beamed full of joy. She could imagine it already, the pitter patter of a pair of little feet running around her home, the cute little giggles of a baby - she couldn't wait! Her mind was practically running wild thinking about all the things she was going to be doing as a grandmother. Hope and Lightning couldn't help but chuckle at Nora's childlike excitement.

Another pair of arms enveloped them, tightening the hug that they had already found themselves in.

"Son, Claire, I'm so happy for you two," Bartholomew chimed in. There was a pure sense of sincerity in his voice. "I'm sure you two will be great parents."

"I sure hope so, dad."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. I'm sure you two will do just fine," Nora added, giving the rosette and silverine reassuring smiles.

 _Just fine_. It was the same words she'd heard from her sister. Lightning just hoped that it was true. But only the future could reveal how they'd end up. For now, she'd accept her mother-in-law's words of motivation.

"Thanks Nora. It means a lot to us to hear that."

"Don't mention it, Claire. You know we'll always be there for you two," Nora assured her. And it was true, they'd do whatever it took to help them get through this stage of life.

"I think this calls for a celebration, don't you think so honey?," Bartholomew said with a huge smile.

"Oh that's right! My goodness, it sure is perfect timing you got here now that the chicken's done!," she beamed in joy.

Hope chuckled at her mother's unbridled happiness. This was all he really wanted in life; to see the people he loved more than the world being happy and joyful. He sighed internally. This was just perfect.

* * *

 

The afternoon sun had slowly descended into the horizon, the evening sky beginning to set in. The past few hours had been a barrage of questions and congratulations from Nora and Bartholomew along with the delightful roast chicken as a meal. It seemed that smiles were on everybody's faces in the house, all overjoyed at the pregnancy.

Now, Hope had gone off somewhere to help Bartholomew with something while Lightning sat at a bench in the backyard, enjoying the quiet and calm scenery of the countryside.  _No wonder they moved here,_ she thought to herself.  _It's so peaceful… so calming._ Her quiet contemplation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around, seeing Nora walking towards her.

"Do you mind if I join you, Claire?," she asked sweetly.

How could Lightning ever reject her? "Not at all," the rosette smiled. Nora sat right beside Lightning, leaning her back against the table, looking out towards the scenery just as her daughter-in-law was doing.

Nora sighed deeply. "It's quite a view, isn't it?"

"Yeah… it sure is." Peaceful silence followed, only the sounds of the gentle breeze and the chirping of the birds filling the air, the evening sun shining brightly on the meadows and fields of green.

"Claire..," the silence had finally been broken. Lightning's trance on the scenery had been broken once again. She turned her gaze towards her mother-in-law, wondering what she had in mind to talk about.

"I hope you don't mind me asking.. but how did you feel when you found out? That you were pregnant that is."

Lightning was a little taken aback at her mother-in-law's question. But by the looks on her face, it didn't seem like she was  _demanding_  an answer. Her face bore a look of sincerity, as if really wanting to know what she felt.

"I.. I don't know..," the rosette sighed. "Truth is, I felt..  _scared_." Lightning trusted her mother-in-law enough that she was willing to let her deepest fears be known to her.

She glanced towards her side, the sight of Nora with a gentle smile on her lips immediately catching her eye. "I know what you mean. I felt that way too.. when I had Hope."

"You did?," the rosette replied, surprised at Nora's answer.

"Mhmm. I felt really happy when I found out I was pregnant. But.. then the thoughts came and then.. then I became afraid - afraid that I wasn't good enough to be a mother," Nora said, a sincere and honest look evident within her eyes.

"I.. faced that too. I'm still questioning myself right now.. if I'm even good enough."

Nora gave her a reassuring smile, placing her hands firmly on both of the rosette's shoulders. "Claire.. as much as we try to prepare or mull over whether we're good enough, we'll never really know until we do it. But I  _know_ that you'll give it your all, and you'll be the  _best_  mother to your children. I'm sure of it."

Nora's words felt as though they'd poured into Lightning's soul, warming up all the crevices in her heart. She couldn't help but embrace her mother-in-law, wrapping her in a tight hug. Words weren't enough to express the gratitude she felt to have someone like her in her life - someone that she could look up to as a mother.

"You'll do great, honey," Nora murmured under her breath. To her, Lightning wasn't just her daughter-in-law. No, she was more than that - she was the daughter she never had.

They sat like that for a few minutes, sharing an intimate hug with each other. Eventually, Lightning could feel her mother-in-law's tight embrace on her begin to loosen, and soon Nora had pulled away from a hug, but this time.. there was something noticeably off with her expression. Her sweet and wide-eyed smile had been replaced by a look of concern and worry.

"Nora, is there something wrong?"

Nora sighed deeply. "Claire, I know this is sudden and all, but I've been meaning to ask you this ever since you came here," she looked directly into Lightning's eyes.

"My son… is he a..  _workaholic_?," she asked almost hesitantly. She could feel her very soul cringe at the mention of that word. She loathed it,  _hated_ it.

"I need you to tell me the truth, Claire. I need to know," she said.

Asking such a question almost seemed deeply wrong in itself, but Nora was worried. There was no doubt that she was as proud as a mother could be seeing him succeed so fast and so young in life - director of the Academy at 24 years old! But she didn't want him to end up like a certain someone in her life.

"N-Nora…," Lightning was at a loss for words. This had caught her completely off guard. But by the looks on her mother-in-law's face; the concerned look on her eyes, the frown on her lips - she was absolutely serious about her question. She had to be honest, she could never lie to the only mother figure she had in her life.

"I…," it was as if her tongue had been tied in a knot. But at that moment she felt the warm touch of Nora's hand envelope hers, a look of understanding and sympathy adorning her mother-in-law's face.

"It's okay, I'm sorry," Nora said with a pang of regret in her voice. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"No. I'll be honest with you, Nora," Lightning spoke up. It wasn't that she didn't want to answer the question, but she just couldn't figure out how to put her thoughts into words. Her heart felt conflicted, confused.

Nora gave Lightning a loving smile, trying to reassure her daughter-in-law that she was in no rush to hear the answer. Nora lightly stroked her fingers against Lightning's palm, something that Lightning noticed that Hope would do as well whenever he tried to comfort Lightning.  _Well, looks like we know where he got it from,_  she thought to herself.

Lightning took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts for a moment. "He's a good husband… but I can tell that sometimes his mind's just too preoccupied on work," she explained. "Sometimes he's in bed still typing away on his laptop or staying in his room till the end of the night… but I can't blame him for that. Being the director of the Academy is a demanding job for him. People depend on the Academy… on him."

"But  _you_  still depend on him," Nora spoke up, a look of concern on her eyes.

Lightning's eyebrows furrowed into a look of confusion, unsure of what her mother-in-law was trying to say.

"Claire, I… I don't want him to be consumed by his work," she sighed. "I don't want your children to grow up resenting their father, despising him for not being around enough to see them," Nora said, her voice full of raw emotion.

Nora could still remember those last few days before the Purge began, her eyes beginning to water up at the thought alone. Even after centuries had passed, her memories of the old world still remained. It was just her and her son, just a teenage boy, watching the fireworks in Bodhum. She still remembered the horrible bitter feeling in her heart when Hope had said that he never wanted to see Bartholomew ever again. Even as a teenager, Hope had already grown to hate his father, despising him.

"I don't want your children ending up like Hope was when he was young," she sighed. "Bartholomew was  _always_  such a busy man back then,  _always_  occupied with his work,  _always_  somewhere he needed to be. I don't know how I could have expected a young boy like Hope to understand why his father always seemed absent from his life."

"I don't want my grandchildren -  _your children_  - to have to go through what Hope did when he was young. I-I don't want Hope to repeat the same mistakes Bartholomew did. I… I just can't bear to see it all happen again," she shakily said, tears beginning to flow down her face.

Memories of the time they finally made it out of the Grapa Whitewoods flashed in Lightning's mind. Hope was hesitant to go to Palumpolum… hesitant to meet his father. She understood now. It took the death of his mother and their struggle as l'Cie for Hope to understand the immense love his father had for him. The memory of Hope embracing his father one last time, unsure of whether he was ever going to see him again appeared in her mind. She hoped that her children would never have to go through the hardships they had to endure back in the old world.

Lightning gently wrapped her arms around Nora, trying her best to comfort her mother-in-law. She was never good at comforting other people other than Hope and Serah but she damn well was going to try her best for Nora, the woman she looked up to as her mother figure.

"Nora, I promise you, it won't come to that," she comforted Nora.

"Promise me you'll make sure Hope doesn't get consumed by his work," Nora said, trying her best to hold in her sobs.

"I promise, Nora… I promise," Lightning said determinedly. She would never allow something like that to ever happen. What mother would ever want their children to grow up resenting their father?

"I want my grandchildren to.. to grow up loving their father, spending time with him, looking up to him. Not… Not despising o-or  _hating_  him,".

"I know Nora… I promise you, I'll make sure he'll be the best father to our children," Lightning promised trying to soothe Nora.

"Thank you, Claire. Thank you…," Nora said, pulling away from her embrace, giving Lightning the sweetest smile she could. All she wanted was the best for her and Hope.

Whether or not the past would repeat itself, only time would tell…

A certain silverine walked near the entrance to the backyard, and he happened to stumble upon Lightning and his mom in an embrace. He didn't know why they were hugging, but it didn't matter. He could only smile at the sight of the two of them, feeling his heart melt seeing them so close to each other.

* * *

 

The day went by almost too fast, and before they knew it they were both exchanging hugs and heartfelt goodbyes with Nora and Bartholomew. Nora especially couldn't stop herself from giving Hope the sloppiest of cheek kisses, Hope blushing throughout it all.

Lightning and Nora hugged each other tightly, Nora giving her daughter-in-law a kiss on the cheek, a sign of her motherly love for her. "I'll be sure to visit you two from time to time. It's been  _so_  long since I've been back to the city," Nora promised with a smile.

Lightning smiled back, "I'll be waiting then."

As Hope began to walk towards the car, he felt a hand firmly clasp his shoulder. He turned around to see his father with a serious look on his face.

"Hope, mind if I talk to you a bit?"

He sounded almost alarmingly serious. The silverine didn't even know what he'd done wrong this time, but he was darn sure that he was done for. "Um.. sure dad. What's up?"

The two of them inched towards the side of the garden, Nora and Lightning still too engrossed in their goodbyes and farewells to notice them gone.

"Hope," Bartholomew said, firmly pressing both of his hands onto the silverine's shoulders. "I need you to listen to me, alright?"

"Dad?"

"Go easy on your work at the Academy, you hear me?"

The silverine put on a puzzled expression, unsure of what to make of his father's words. "What are you talking about, dad?"

"Son.. don't - and I mean  _don't_  - ever put your job above your family. You're going to be a parent soon, and that means you're going to have to make the decision whether to focus on your job or your family."

"Dad.."

"Look Hope. I'll admit I'm not the best at giving advices, but please hear me out. I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did. I don't want you to lose sight of what's important," Bartholomew said as he glanced over to Lightning and his wife.

"Hope, I need you to promise me that you will ease down on the work, and  _always_  choose your family over everything else. Don't do what I did.. don't make your child  _hate_  you. Please..,"

It didn't take much explanation for Hope to understand what his father was trying to tell him. He knew all too well what he was trying to get at - his hatred of him when he was a child. No.. he wouldn't make the same mistakes his father had done all those years ago that had caused them to drift apart from each other. This time.. this time he was going to do it right. He didn't - couldn't - let the past repeat itself.

Hope sighed. "I promise dad.. I promise."

A small smile instantly lit up the older man's serious facial features. He reached behind the silverine to pat his son on the back, embracing him in a quick yet emotional hug. "Thank you, son. Just make sure you keep to that promise. Trust me.. you'll appreciate this in the future."

"I will dad..,"

* * *

 

"Goodbye, and be safe!," said the older couple almost in unison, holding each other arm in arm, waving goodbye at Hope and Lightning.

As the two walked towards their car, Lightning inched closer to Hope, taking his hand in hers. She noticed the serious expression on his face, his eyebrows furrowed as if in deep thought.

"What was that about?," she questioned, having seen him and Bartholomew disappear to the sides when she was still talking with Nora.

Her question had seemed to break him out of his trance, his eyes widening in surprise for a split second. "W-what? Oh.. nothing," he stuttered for a moment. "Just.. some advice to remember."

The engine roared to life as soon as they got into the car, and before they knew it they were off on their journey back home, the evening sun slowly disappearing into the horizon. The view of the house slowly became smaller, until it disappeared from sight entirely.

Lightning looked out the window, sighing to herself, her conversation with Nora still fresh in her mind. She needed to talk about it with Hope, lest her promise be null and void.

"Hope-"

"Light"

The two sat there in silence for a moment, realising that they had just interrupted each other. "You can go first," the silverine immediately said.

"No, you can say what you want to say, Hope."

"I-," he paused for a moment. He knew that Lightning's words were final, and that there was no point with this back and forth. He gave in, choosing to let out the thoughts in his mind first.

"Light, I just wanted to promise you something.. Just so that in the future, you'll tell me if I ever come close to breaking it."

Lightning felt a little taken aback at his words. The tone of his voice was enough for her to know that he was dead serious.

Hope took a deep breath, preparing himself for the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "Light.. I promise that.. that if it ever came down to it, I would choose our family over everything. And I mean  _everything_ , even my career in the Academy."

"Hope..,"

"I want to be the best father that I can be to our children… to always be there for them. I want to spend every waking hour of my day pouring my heart and soul into our children, I promise."

Lightning truly felt touched. She already knew that he'd do anything for their soon-to-born child, but it was endearing to see him be so passionate about it.

"But I need you to help me, Light. If it ever seems like I'm starting to lose my way.. and I'm starting to prioritise my work over our children, then.. please, tell me. Heck slap me if you have to. I just.. don't want to make the same mistake my dad made all those years ago."

"Hope..," she said, giving him a look of determination and reassurance. "Remember what I told you back at the Grapa Whitewoods?"

"Light?"

"Keep your eyes front..,"

"I'll watch the rear.." The words were practically ingrained into his mind. There was no way he would ever forget them.

He felt the warm touch of his wife's hand on his own, glancing up to see her give him a gentle smile. "I'll be by your side, Hope. And I'll make sure that we do this right - together. I promise."

"Thank you, Light," he sighed in relief, feeling a little more relaxed after having let out what needed to be said.

"You wanted to say something too, right Light?" the silverine asked.

Lightning had almost forgotten that she was about to say something as well. "Oh right.. It was nothing.. now that I think about it. I was just.. remembering a promise I made to someone as well."

"It was my mom, wasn't it?"

Lightning's blue eyes instantly shot up in surprise, her mouth wide in shock. "How did you-,"

"I saw you too hugging each other back at the backyard. I didn't know what for.. but now I think I understand. Was it something about.. all of this? About my work in the Academy and my father?," he asked inquisitively.

"Yea..," she trailed for a bit. "Something about that," was all she could answer.

Hope sighed. "Well that's just more motivation for me to keep to my promise then," he said full of conviction.

Lightning could only smile at his enthusiasm. "I'll make sure you keep to your promise, Hope."

"I know you will, Light. And that's why I love you."


	10. The Months After (Part 1)

It was just like any other morning; the Sun peaking out from the horizon, the birds singing happily, and of course…

_Bluuurgh~_

..morning sickness.

With her head resting on the toilet seat, she couldn't stop herself from releasing out all of last night's dinner into the latrine. Really, she'd gotten used to it by this point, but it didn't mean that she hated it any less. Each morning was always a gamble on whether or not she'd feel that horrible sensation in her head that would inevitably force her to make a dash to the toilet.

Poor Lightning. She honestly had expected the first few months to be at least a cake walk, but she was so far from the truth. As the weeks had gone by, the 'symptoms' of her pregnancy had begun to creep up on her, revealing themselves to the rosette all at once. The morning sicknesses were annoying at the very least and absolutely dreadful at worst, but she'd faced worse before - at least that's what she kept telling herself. Sometimes, on those very bad days, it almost felt like her time fighting against gods was more of a walk in the park than this.

Beside her, Hope was on his knees with a bundle of the rosette's pink hair in his hands, making sure that none of the vomit could get on her hair. With each purge of her stomach, the silverine could only stroke her back softly in reassurance, trying to comfort her through this dreadful part of their day.

_Bluuurgh~_

_That feels like the last one._  She honestly felt like her entire stomach was empty at this point, with nothing left to release out into the now-vomit covered toilet bowl. The rosette lifted her head out from the toilet bowl, her entire body falling weakly onto Hope's. The silverine caught her in his arms, pulling her gently to rest on his chest.

With a gentle stroke of her hair, he asked, "You feeling okay, Light?"

"I've faced worse before," she shrugged, her body still feeling like crap.

Hope wasn't really convinced, but he'd thought he'd just let it slide. What his wife really needed right now was a place to rest, somewhere more elegant than the toilet.

"You feeling okay enough to walk?" the silverine asked.

The rosette groaned slightly, her body still somewhat aching from the whole ordeal. "Nrgh.. yeah. Just.. give me a sec."

"Take all the time in the world, honey. Today's a pretty relaxed day anyway," the silverine said as he gave a sweet smile to his wife, kissing the top of her head.

The rosette seemed to press herself deeper into Hope's chest, feeling her eyes become much heavier as the fatigue was starting to set in.

Hope sighed in relief. To be honest, today was much easier than some other days with the fact that Lightning hadn't experienced any mood swings yet. He loved the woman to bits, but the days when those mood swings came in full force were the days he dreaded the most. But either good or bad, delightful or dreadful, he'd take it in stride. Because he made a promise, a promise to go through this with her no matter what.

He could feel the rosette rising up from him, feeling her hand push down on him as she struggled to get up. The silverine immediately helped her, gently lifting her up to her feet. As soon as her feet made contact with the floor, she felt herself losing balance, her entire body swaying back and forth in a tipsy. It felt as if the ground beneath her was starting to slip away. A gasp released from her lips.

"I got you, Light," the silverine behind her said as he took hold of her shoulders, holding her and making sure she wouldn't fall.

It was as if by instinct that she wrapped her arms around him, almost as if her life depended on it. The thoughts were starting to flood her mind.  _That.. that was too close for comfort. If I'd fallen then-_

"Don't worry, Light," the silverine spoke up once he noticed the worried look on his wife's face. "I'll be by your side. Let's do this one step at a time."

With each step she took out of the bathroom with Hope supporting her, she could feel the nausea that had been plaguing her the entire morning begin to disappear. Before she knew it, they had already made their way to the living room, the couch looking especially comfortable to plop down onto right about then.

The silverine gently brought her down to the sofa, a sigh of relief escaping his lips once he was sure that Lightning was safe and comfortable for now.

"You want anything from the kitchen, Light?," the silverine asked as he sat beside her.

"Hmm.. some tea would be good."

Hope got up from the sofa, going to make his way towards the kitchen. "Alright, you just sit back and try to relax," he said as he went in to give the rosette a kiss.

The silverine disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Lightning all alone in the living room. The rosette let out a deep sigh of exhaustion.  _And it's only 9 AM…._

How long had it been? 3 months? 4 months? Lightning was starting to lose track. But what she definitely was sure about was that her little baby was growing inside her. Her stomach had basically inflated ever since the past month and with it came all the usual symptoms - the cravings, the sicknesses, the gradual back pains. But she'd expected this, and perhaps to an extent she was prepared.

_Gurgle~_

The rosette suddenly felt the bellows of her stomach letting out a fierce growl. With last night's dinner down the toilet bowl, now her stomach craved for something to fill itself up. But Lightning had a feeling that it wasn't her stomach that was demanding sustenance.. no, it was something - someone - else.

Her hand instinctively hovered over her baby bump, stroking it softly. Oh she could feel it, the little person growing inside her was definitely hungry - heck, starving even. A small smile crept up to her lips.

"Alright honey, I hear you. I'll get daddy to fix something up for us," she whispered, feeling her heart flutter at the mere act of talking to the person growing inside her belly. There was an unbridled joy that she felt from just imagining talking to her child. Imagine what it would feel like once her baby was born!

"And fix you two something I will."

The rosette felt her heart jump out of her chest for a split second. She looked to her side, Hope already there with a cup of tea in his hands.  _When the heck did he get here?!_  A mad blush formed on the rosette's cheeks.  _He was not supposed to hear that…_

A cheeky smile formed on the silverine's lips as he passed the cup of tea to his wife. "So, the little one's already starting to get hungry, or is it just you?"

Lightning playfully flicked Hope's nose as she brought the cup of tea up to her lips. "Shut up.. I'm absolutely starving right now. Doesn't help with the fact that I've got to keep someone else full and happy," she said as her eyes went down to look at her belly.

Hope couldn't help but smile giddily. "Okay, I'll get you  _two_  something to eat," he said before going down to place a big smooch on his wife's baby bump. "What would you like?"

"Hmm.. steak. Wait, hold that, make that  _two_  steaks."

"S-steak? At 9 AM?," the silverine said in surprise.

"Yea, one for me and one for this one," Lightning replied, gesturing towards her stomach again.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, alright. I'll go prepare you two some juicy steaks. You just sit right here," he said as he went in to kiss Lightning. "And  _you_  sit tight with mommy," the silverine cooed as he went to place another big kiss on Lightning's belly.

* * *

To his utter surprise, Lightning had downed two entire slabs of steaks without even breaking a sweat. The woman must've had one hell of an appetite. Now, with his wife full and satisfied, he could rest for a short while.

The rosette ran her fingers through his silver locks as he lied down on her lap, his face facing towards his wife's baby bump. He gently brushed his fingers along her belly, his eyes encapsulating the sheer joy and wonder that he was feeling at the moment. Right there, beneath his fingers, was his own flesh and blood.

"Light.. you ever just wonder how we got so lucky?," he asked as he rose up from Lightning's lap and sat himself down beside her on the sofa.

"You don't even know.."

There was a pure sense of joy radiating from the smile on the rosette's lips and Hope couldn't stop himself from leaning in and placing a big smooch on them. Their fingers interlaced as they savoured the taste of each other's lips, just like they'd always have thousands of times before. But this kiss felt almost different to Lightning, as though the old sensation of butterflies in her stomach sparked within her. Whatever it was, the love that was pouring out from her heart at the moment was absolutely undeniable.

All of a sudden, Lightning jerked away from the kiss, her hand going down to her stomach in a flash.

Hope instantly felt a pang of worry overwhelm him at the sight of his wife wincing in pain for a second. "Light! Is there something wrong-"

"N-no. Nothing's wrong, Hope. I just..," the rosette spoke up before Hope could even finish his sentence. "I think I just felt it."

"Wait, felt it? You mean.." His green eyes shone with wonder and amazement at the realisation.

The rosette nodded in response, a small smile starting to form on her lips. She took the silverine's hand in her own and guided it to her stomach, letting him feel the sensation that she had just experienced.

"I felt the baby kicking." Just as she said that, the silverine almost jumped in shock when he felt something move under his palm.  _Holy crap..._

"It's.. it's.."

"She's a lively one right now."

Hope's stunned look was immediately replaced with one of curiosity. "Wait,  _she?_  How do you know it's a girl?"

"I don't know.. it's just a gut feeling I guess," she said before she felt another kick from the little person inside her stomach - and this time it felt harder than the last.  _Oomph.. that actually hurt a little._ "And by the feel of that kick, I can bet that it's a girl."

 _Wow,_ the silverine mouthed in amazement. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't even wondered what gender the baby would be. But if Lightning was right, that they were going to have a girl, then..

"If it's a girl, then I hope she'll be as beautiful as you," he said. "I bet she'll have your eyes, your lips, your-"

"Alright, Hope. I get it," she chuckled. She really didn't need to hear him go on and on about her looks anymore.

"Come on.. you didn't even let me finish," the silverine sulked playfully.

The silverine's answer had sparked some curiosity within the rosette. "Alright, Hope. What else do you hope the baby will have just like me?," she teased jokingly in return.

Just before he continued on with his answer, he inched closer to her until their faces were mere inches apart. Then, he said with a sweet and warm tone to his voice, "I hope she'll have the same loving and caring heart that you have."

His words didn't elicit any response from her, but what he did get was a mad blush on the rosette's cheeks - her face being as red as cherry tomatoes. She was flattered to hear those words, and Hope knew all too well judging by the smirk on his lips.

With their faces so close to each other, Lightning thought she'd just close the gap between them. She captured his lips into a passionate kiss, feeling the silverine press deeper into the kiss. She felt herself being drawn in, unable to pull herself away from her husband's soft lips. Heck, if she could she would've stayed like that forever.

_Ding dong~_

The rosette noticeably groaned when she heard the doorbell ring. With her entire might and will, she reluctantly pulled away from Hope's lips, her attention going towards to whoever was at the door.

"Ugh.. this better be good," she huffed as she rose up from her seat. Hope followed suit, trailing behind her towards the front door.

_Ding dong ding dong~_

The incessant spamming of the doorbell was starting to drive her mad. Who on earth had shown up to their humble abode? This had better been worth interrupting her intimate moment with her husband.

She flung the door open just as she had undone the locks, and lo and behold, the people that had been bugging her were no other than Fang and Vanille.

"Heya Lightning, Hope-"

Fang's greeting was cut short by Vanille's high pitched squeal. "Oh my god! Your tummy is so biiig!" she squealed as she basically ogled at the size of Lightning's baby bump. "I mean I knew you were pregnant, but now that I see it in person it's so huge!"

"Yea, now that you mention it Vanille, it does look much bigger than I thought," the raven-haired vixen said as she slung her arm around the petite woman's shoulder.

Lightning could only smile sheepishly at them. "Uhh.."

"So, anyway," the silverine spoke up as he cleared his throat. "Why  _are_  you two here?" the silverine asked. As he glanced for a second to the rosette, he could see her mouth a thank you to him. A small smirk formed on his lips.  _Well, awkward situation averted_.

"Oh well~," Fang said in a sing song voice. "We thought we'd just drop by to give our congratulations to you two on your pregnancy."

"Yea, we're so happy for you two!," Vanille exclaimed full of glee and joy, her face beaming with happiness.

"But we're not just here for that. We also came along with some..," she said before rummaging through the bag that she had been carrying the entire time, "..gifts!"

The raven-haired vixen took out a smaller bag full of all sorts of items. There was a large toy sticking out from the bag, it's shape and colour looking almost  _too_  familiar for Lightning, as if she'd seen it somewhere before.

"We got you some blankets, diapers, and even some baby clothes!" Vanille beamed excitedly as she pulled out a white baby onesie with Moogle prints all over it.

"And don't worry, we made sure to get 'em in unisex colours," Fang said with a wink.

"Wow." Hope couldn't believe that they'd gone through the effort of actually getting some baby items for them. Heck, he hadn't even begun to buy any of that stuff yet.

Lightning honestly felt touched. She hadn't been expecting this at all when they appeared at her front door, but this was a delightful surprise nonetheless. Perhaps this was kinda worth interrupting her sweet time with Hope.

"And we also made you something else!," Vanille said with the eagerness of an excited child. This had definitely caught the attention of the silverine and the rosette. With what they'd given to them already, there was more?

Vanille reached into the bag, pulling out the large toy that had been sticking out like a sore thumb the entire time. "I stitched together this Carbuncle doll for you! It's been ages since I went to Nautilus, so i tried to recreate it from memory. It isn't much, but I hope you like it," she said as she handed the doll to Hope.

 _Ah, so that's what it is!_ Lightning's mind basically lit up like a light bulb. It had been literal ages since she'd last seen that iconic doll from the grand amusement parks of Nautilus. Ah.. the good times those were when she'd rush there excitedly with her little sister beside her. Such innocent times...

"Vanille.. that's.. that's so nice of you. It looks just like how I remembered it." Those big green ears, that little red ruby on its forehead, the little black and white outfit that it wore along with its orange pants - it looked just like the one he had when he was a child. "Thank you, Vanille!," he said as he shook Vanille's hand profusely, before enveloping her in a short but sweet hug.

"Aww, don't mention it Hope!," the petite woman replied gleefully.

The rosette felt an arm press on her shoulder. "Think of this as some sort of baby starter pack, eh?" Fang said as she rested her arm on Lightning's shoulder.

"Real thoughtful of you, Fang. But why go through the effort just to get all this though?," the rosette asked curiously.

"Hey, I take good care of my friends alright. And besides..," her voice had taken on a serious tone now, "..it's the least I can do after what you did for me. Stopping Vanille from carrying out that stupid Soulsong.. that's something I don't think I can ever repay you for in the slightest."

"You don't have to."

"What? No I-" Fang said as she turned towards the rosette beside her. Before she could refute anything else, she felt Lightning's hand pressed firmly on her shoulder.

"I take good care of my friends too, Fang. I don't expect anything from you in return for what I did. And besides," the rosette smirked, "..it was a team effort, remember?"

"I.."  _Shit.. she's kinda right._ "Alright Lightning..," Fang said with a light chuckle escaping her lips, "I guess you've got me there. But that doesn't change the fact that I still owe you."

Lightning sighed with a small smile on her lips. "Whatever you say Fang."

"Now..," the raven-haired Vixen said with a stretch of her arms. "..do you mind if we come in? My legs are killin' me."

Lightning mentally slapped herself. How long had she been holding them up at the door? She should've let them in sooner. "Ahh.. right," she said as she rubbed the back of her neck in slight embarrassment. "Come on in then. Uh.. sorry for keeping you two outside like this for so long."

"Hey, don't worry about it. As long as you let me raid your liquor cabinet," Fang replied with a devious and cheeky smirk on her lips. The look that she'd earned from the rosette was anything but an approval for her request. "Come ooon, didn't someone just say that they take good care of their friends?"

The rosette could only sigh as she shook her head. "Don't push it Fang."


	11. The Months After (Part 2)

"Hope.. what on earth are you doing?"

The silverine gave her a cheeky smile in return as he continued to fidget about with the headphones in his hand. He eagerly placed them on his wife's stomach, earning him a puzzled look from her.

"I'm just doing something I read in one of the baby guidebooks."

"Uh-huh..." Her eyebrows furrowed into a doubtful look, seemingly unconvinced yet by Hope's all too dubious explanation.

With a music player in hand, the silverine searched through the sea of playlists in his device, his finger finally pressing on the play button once he came upon a special playlist - 'peaceful_baby_music' as he'd taken to naming it.

"I heard that if you play music, it helps soothe the baby in the womb."

"Hmm.. now that you mention it.. Serah did tell me something about playing music for her baby when she was pregnant," the rosette replied. "But before that..," she said as she took off the headphones from her stomach, "I need to make sure you're letting our little girl listen to the good type of music."

Hope laughed at his wife's insistence. He found it cute of her to be so skeptical of his musical tastes. "Alright, go ahead, have a listen. I made an entire playlist just for her, and all of the songs are calming if I do say so myself," he said, wearing a confident grin.

"I'll be the judge of that," Lightning replied with a teasing little smile on her face.

As soon as she wore the headphones on her ears, she'd expected the blaring noises of a cacophony of instruments blasting at her eardrums. But instead, what she heard was the soft melodies of the violins and the gentle voices of the choir playing in the background. The doubtful face she'd had a second ago was replaced with one of serenity and calmness.  _Not bad…_

The silverine's lips curved into a smirk as he saw his wife entranced in his peaceful selection of music. "It's kinda calming, right?"

"Not bad.. not bad at all. I guess this'll do fine for her," the rosette said with a small smile on her lips.

Lightning took the headphones off from her ears, placing them on her stomach so that each headpiece sat comfortably on the sides of her stomach.

"Now while our little sweetheart's being soothed, maybe someone else needs to be soothed as well?," the silverine asked as he waggled his eyebrows, his lips wearing a cheeky smirk.

"What are you suggesting, Hope?"

He didn't say anything in response, instead placing the music player right beside where Lightning was sitting on their living room carpet. He sat down right behind her, her back facing him.

"Hope, what are you-"

A tingling sensation rushed down her spine when she felt her husband's lips coming into contact with the nape of her neck. A gasp escaped from her lips almost involuntarily. She turned her head towards the silverine behind her and that cheeky grin he had from earlier still hadn't left his face.

Oh, he definitely knew that Lightning would react that way. The grin on his face said it all. That part of her body felt the most vulnerable to her, and Hope was all too happy to take advantage of it. The rosette shot a glare at her husband, seemingly flustered by his teasing smirk.

"H-Hope, don't you dare try anything else," she tried to say with a serious tone. But her heart would not betray her true feelings, and instead her words had come out almost like an embarrassed stutter.

"Oh come on, Light. Don't be like that..," he said with a light chuckle, "..I'm just trying to get you to relax."

But Lightning was beginning to feel a little skeptical with her cheeky husband. There was no knowing what other 'surprises' he had up his sleeve.

"Just turn around, Light," the silverine said with a reassuring smile on his face. But that doubtful look on his wife's face was enough for him to know that she wouldn't budge. "Alright, I promise I won't do anything else like that, ok?," he said as he jokingly placed one hand on his chest.

 _Fine…_  Lightning reluctantly turned her head forward again, exposing her back towards her husband once more.

But instead of another kiss like she'd expected, Lightning instead felt her husband's warm hands press themselves onto her shoulder, his fingers rubbing up and down and left to right in a rhythmic fashion. He pressed into her muscles, pushing out all the tension that was trapped within her after all this time.  _Oh.. this is nice._

"I noticed how much you've had to go through these past few months. So I think giving you a massage is something that's been long overdue," the silverine said as he continued to press his hands up and down his wife's back.

A massage.. when was the last time she'd had one of those? She was never one to like being massaged, but now… now it felt all too good. All the knots in her muscles were being loosened, and she could feel the back aches that had been plaguing her for the past few months beginning to disappear. The rosette let out a quiet moan as she felt Hope hit that perfect spot on her back that had been aching for so long.

A smile crept up to the silverine's lips. It was always nice to see Lightning so relaxed like this. "Feeling good, honey?"

Lightning only nodded in return. Hope couldn't see it, but the rosette was in a trance-like state, feeling pure bliss as her husband massage up and down her spine.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity; Lightning enjoying the massage in silent bliss with the occasional moans that she'd let out when her husband's hands rubbed just the right spot.

In the meantime, Lightning could finally relax and look back to how the last few months had been to her. Lately, it felt as if her stomach had grown even larger than she could possibly have imagined, with all the usual pregnancy symptoms being amplified along with it.

But Hope had gone through along with it in stride. Even when she'd craved for a piece of cake in the dead of night, he was already out of the door and off towards a nearby grocery store just to get one for her. He was determined about this, Lightning could tell - and she couldn't have been more grateful for having a husband like him.

Yet, the most stressful and anxiety inducing moment during the past few months of her pregnancy hadn't even been her morning sickness or the pains. No.. it was the time they'd actually decided to go for an ultrasound and find out the gender of their baby, along with its health conditions.

She could still remember it; the cold bite of the winter wind, the rapid beating of her heart...

* * *

She felt like she was being suffocated by the amount of scarves and winter clothes that were covering her body. She'd protested, but as usual…

"Light, you need to wrap yourself up."

The rosette groaned in annoyance, but still put up with her husband's insistence on wearing so much neckwear. Yet truth be told, she found it endearing of him to be so deeply concerned for her well-being.

The silverine placed a beanie on his wife's head, fitting it so that it sat comfortably on her - although all that really did was earn him a glare of annoyance from the rosette.

The ride in the car was uneventful, but once they arrived at the local clinic, both of them could feel their hearts beating wildly in anticipation.

As they made their way through the white halls of the clinic, their anticipation only grew. Hope could feel Lightning's hand wrapped around his, feeling her grip on him tighten. He noticed the anxiousness in her blue eyes. They'd talked about this.. about how it didn't matter what the gender of the baby was. Because either way, they'd love it more than the world itself - but they just couldn't help but feel anxious to find out.

They entered the doctor's office, and before she knew it, Lightning was already on the examining table after having had all those layers of winter jackets and scarves set aside. The doctor had placed a small device on her stomach, with a monitor beside her that was yet to display any image.

The screen flickered on, a hazy and blurry image being displayed on the screen. But it was all too clear what the image was displaying.

They could make out the shape of the baby in the image, its head and shape easily recognisable among the fuzzy black and white of the screen. Its little hands were visible as well, along with its tiny legs. The two stared in amazement, awed at their first look of the little person growing in Lightning's tummy.

Hope couldn't believe his eyes. He'd seen images of ultrasounds before in his field of work.. but to see one of his own child - it was almost magical. "Woah.."

The doctor began studying and examining the image much more closely, most likely searching for any defects in the baby. But Lightning and Hope were all too busy gawking at the image on the screen to even notice the observations that the doctor had been doing.

"Well, the baby looks very healthy so far. No defects or any illnesses that I can see from the ultrasound."

Hope and Lightning breathed out a big sigh of relief they hadn't even known they'd been holding this entire time. Thank goodness their baby didn't have any health problems, but what they really wanted to know was-

"What's the gender of the baby?," Lightning asked almost impatiently. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest, anxious to know the answer to her question.

The doctor chuckled lightly to himself at the rosette's eagerness. "By the looks of it, it's going to be a girl."

"R-really?," the silverine asked almost in disbelief. "How can you tell?" His face was calm and there was a small smile on his lips, but it was nothing compared to the joy he felt in his heart. Inside, he was practically jumping up and down in unbridled happiness. He couldn't even believe it, he was going to have a daughter!

"Well, you see Mr Estheim..," the doctor went on to give a lengthy explanation, one involving biology and anatomy - and one that Lightning paid no heed to.

Instead, all she could think about right then was the fact that she was going to have a daughter. She started to wonder.. would her little baby look like her? Would she have the same hair colour as her? Or would she have her husband's silver locks? So many questions... But what she  _was_ sure about was how elated she felt, and she couldn't stop herself from wearing a big smile on her face.

"If you two would like, we can even get a picture of this ultrasound image prepared for you - with an additional fee of course," the doctor chimed in.

"Yes!" Hope exclaimed almost too enthusiastically. "Y-yes..," he coughed, "..we'd like that."

"Of course, Mr. Estheim. I'll go get that picture for you right away," the doctor said with a smile before going off to some other room.

As soon as the doctor had left the room, Hope turned his gaze towards his wife who was still lying down on the examining table. There was a satisfied and sly smirk on her lips, one that conveyed those very words he was expecting to hear from her ever since the confirmation of their baby's gender.

"I told you so"

Hope shook his head as he laughed warmly. "I know, I know. Guess your gut was right after all."

* * *

Eventually, right when Hope's hands were just beginning to feel numb after massaging the rosette's shoulders and back non-stop, he felt Lightning's hand on his own. She turned around to face him, a satisfied smile adorned on her face.

"That's enough, Hope." She leaned in closer to his face. "Thank you," she whispered before planting a kiss on her husband's lips.

"You're very welcome, Light," he said with a wide grin on his face. But his grin faded almost instantly, instead replaced by one of wonder as his eyes darted towards his wife's belly. He could see the kicks of the little baby inside of Lightning's belly stretching out on her skin.

Lightning chuckled through her nose at the sight of her husband, finding it quite amusing and endearing seeing him so amazed at their little baby's kicks. "She's pretty lively right now. Guess she's gotten a little bored of your 'peaceful' music."

As Hope laid his hand on her stomach, he felt the baby kick into his palm. There was no way he'd ever get tired of feeling that. "Hmm.. that might be the case," he said with a chuckle from his lips.

"Maybe..," Lightning said as she began to take off the headphones that had been on her stomach for the past hour, "..she wants to hear her daddy's voice?"

Hope couldn't stop his lips from breaking into a wide smile. "Well.. it has been some time since I last had a talk with my little girl."

Lightning chuckled.  _Really… it's only been half a day._

The rosette inched herself towards the couch, leaning her back against the cushions as she continued to sit on the carpet. She patted her stomach, inviting Hope to come closer and talk to their little girl who was all too eager to hear her father's voice again.

Hope leaned in closer, repositioning himself so that his body laid down comfortably on the carpet while his head rested on his wife's belly. With his ear so close, he could practically hear the movements of their baby inside her stomach.

"Hey sweetheart..," he began. Almost instantly, he felt the kicks from the baby intensify. She was  _definitely_  excited to hear her daddy's voice again, and Hope was all too happy to know it as he stared googly-eyed at Lightning's belly.

"Daddy's missed you too sweetheart.  _Mwaah_ ~.'' He smooched his wife's baby bump all over, unable to stop himself from giggling so giddily and joyfully at the thought of talking with his little baby.

After he was done giving his barrage of kisses, he leaned his head back down to rest on Lightning's belly again, his hand stroking it gently as if the baby was right there under his fingertips. "I hope you haven't been giving your mommy too much trouble."

"Oh, she's been a naughty one, kicking up her mommy when she's sleeping," Lightning said jokingly with a laugh.

The silverine laughed heartily along with her. "That just means she wants her mommy's attention."

The rosette chuckled in return. "Or perhaps she's just excited to finally get out."

Hope smiled back at his wife, a certain feeling of excitement and eagerness filling his heart once he realised how soon they were going to have a child. The silverine sighed, wishing that time would just go faster until their little girl was born.

"I can't wait until you're born, sweetheart. Daddy can't wait to tell you about all the adventures your mommy and I had together," he said as he ran his fingers across the baby bump.

"Adventures?," the rosette asked with a hint of amusement to her voice. "I wouldn't call those times 'adventures' you know."

"Then what would you rather call them?"

Lightning rubber her chin in thought. "I'd call them..crazy-world-ending-missions-that-we-needed to-do-or-else-we'd-die. That sort of thing," she said almost bluntly.

"Those  _are_  still adventures."

"Whatever…," the rosette huffed in feigned annoyance. "But.. that all feels like a dream now - like it was all just some bad nightmare."

"Yea.. I feel that way too. It almost doesn't feel real to know that we fought gods and fal'Cie once," Hope said, his voice taking on a serious tone compared to the cheery one he'd had a few seconds ago.

He turned his gaze up towards the rosette. "We really have come a long way, haven't we Light? I never would've imagined beyond my wildest dreams that I'd be having a child with you."

"Heh.. me neither. The soldier and the grumpy teenager getting married in another life and having children.. almost sounds like a fairy tale," the rosette replied cheekily.

"Hey, I'm not a grumpy teenager anymore now am I?," the silverine said with a joking pout.

"No..," Lightning said as she brushed the strands of silver hair covering the silverine's face, revealing his emerald eyes staring back at her, "..I guess you aren't anymore." She leaned in closer, planting a kiss on her husband's forehead.

A satisfied smile formed on the silverine's visage. The rosette's lips formed a smile of their own, but there was a hint of deviousness hidden behind them.

"You know honey..," the rosette began as she trailed her fingers along her belly, "..your daddy used to be an angry teenager when I first met him."

"H-hey, she doesn't need to know that!," the silverine said almost flustered.

"But then he grew up to become the best leader that humanity had ever known, and he even managed to build his own city," the rosette continued with a smirk.

Hope sighed in relief. "Now that's better." A smirk appeared on his own lips, "But I have a story about your mommy too."

 _Oh, so this is how you're gonna play it?_  "Hope, don't you dare-"

"Your mommy used to be a soldier once. She was fierce, and she kicked major butt! Heck, she even beat up your Uncle Snow!," he said with a laugh.

The look on his wife's face was anything but an appreciation of his words, but he had more to say than just that.

"But as fierce as she may have been, she had a heart of gold. She helped daddy become better, and even saved daddy countless of times. She made me stronger, and helped me in more ways than she'll ever know. I owe my life to your mommy, and I couldn't be happier to have  _you_  with her," he said before giving one big kiss on Lightning's belly.

He looked up to see his wife's expression, a warm smile on her visage greeting his eyes. "Satisfied?," Hope asked teasingly.

"Hmm.. perhaps," she replied with a grin.

The silverine chuckled as he shook his head. "Your mother's a hard one to please, you know that sweetheart?," he whispered to the baby bump under his face.

"You say the word sweetheart so much you've almost convinced me that it was her name," the rosette joked.

"Hmm…" Now that he realised it, Lightning was right. He'd been calling their little baby 'sweetheart' all this time, and he hadn't even thought of a name for her yet. "Well, we haven't decided on any name yet. You have any ideas?"

"I don't know.. I don't think I'm even ready to decide yet."

"How about.. Claire Jr.?"

"Very funny Hope," the rosette said before promptly flicking her husband's nose in return as an amused smile flashed across her face. "But we are  _not_  going to name our baby Claire Jr."

"Hmm.. then what about.. Rain!"

"Rain?"

"Ya know.. Rain, Lightning," the silverine said as he waggled his eyebrows.

"What.." It finally clicked in her head, and once the realisation came, Lightning almost burst out in laughter at the idea. "Was that a pun, Hope?" she said amidst her ill-controlled giggles. She had to admit, that was pretty clever of him.

The cheeky smile on Hope's face was all it took to answer her question. "I'm being serious, Hope! We need to find a good name for our baby," she said as she jokingly smacked his shoulder.

Once his own laughter began to die down, the silverine began recollecting his thoughts. He took Lightning's hands into his own, placing both of them onto her stomach while his own hands lay over hers. "Light.. I want  _you_  to name her."

"Me?" She sighed. "I don't think I'm ready yet," the rosette replied, her eyes averting Hope's gaze. She honestly had nothing coming up in her brain at the moment.

"Then we'll name her when the time is right," he said reassuringly, earning him a small smile from the rosette. "But for now, I think I'll just stick to calling her sweetheart."

* * *

By now she was already deep into her third trimester, the months having gone by like a flash. Soon, if things went well, she'd finally have a child.

Lately, it seemed that there was an abundance of helping hands at her disposal - something she found almost a little jarring. Serah and Nora had been keeping themselves by her side, keeping her company and passing along some much needed parenting advice. Suffice to say, she was glad to have them around.

But as for the men.. that was a different story. They were almost like maids at this point; Hope and Bartholomew as well as Snow on some occasions running around the house preparing anything and everything for her, whether it be meals or even cleaning the house.

She appreciated it, really. But she felt like she could've done all of that herself. It felt a little jarring to have them doing everything for her.  _But you need to lie down and rest, honey_ , he'd say. But.. she couldn't deny that she found it really endearing of them.

Her storeroom had also been filled to the brim with all manners of baby items, generously given to her by none other than Serah and the rest of the gang during the countless baby showers she'd had. At least she didn't have to buy any of her own baby clothes for now.

While Serah and Nora kept his wife company, Hope could spend a little time chatting with his one and only brother-in-law.

"Snow..," the silverine called as he continued his routine of washing the dishes. But his hands were jittering, with some of the plates in his hand almost falling flat against the surface of the kitchen counter.

"What's up, lil' bro?," the blonde giant replied as he appeared in the kitchen with more plates in his hands.

Hope mentally groaned at the sight.  _As if i didn't have enough plates…_  But he tossed the thought aside, focusing back to what he wanted to ask Snow.

"I.. need to ask you a question."

"Go ahead. I'm sure I've got a few more pieces of advice up my sleeve," Snow said with a confident grin as he placed the rest of the dishes into the sink.

Hope sighed, recollecting his words. "How did you feel before Serah gave birth?"

Snow was a little taken aback at the silverine's question, but it didn't take him long to understand what Hope was trying to ask him.

"Ah, I see. You feel worried, don't you?," Snow said as he leaned his back against the kitchen counter.

Hope nodded faintly in confirmation. Truth be told, he wasn't worried - he was scared. And Snow could see that stressed look in Hope's eyes. He placed a hand on the silverine's shoulder, rubbing it lightly to soothe him.

"I'm scared, Snow. I don't know what'll happen during Light's labour and there's just so much that can go wrong. And what if it does go wrong-"

"I understand Hope," the blonde giant said cutting him off before his grim thoughts could overwhelm his stressed mind. "I know how you feel. I was like that too before Serah gave birth. I was scared shitless before Austin was born, and I felt just like you; worried that something would go wrong," Snow said sincerely.

"I won't sugarcoat it, lil' bro. Those hours of labour will feel like the most stressful moments in your life." Snow could practically hear his brother-in-law gulp in fear. "But.. once it's over… once your little baby's right there in your arms - it'll feel like the happiest time of your life. Trust me on this one, Hope."

Words alone weren't enough to dissipate the fears he had, but it was enough to give a shred of hope to the silverine. He just needed to get through the hardest part, and then  _she'd_ be here, in his arms. Hope breathed in, trying to calm himself.

"Thanks Snow."

"Don't mention it, lil' bro..," he said as he slung his arm around the silverine's shoulder. "Trust me, this'll all be worth it."

Now, the dark of night was starting to set in, and Bartholomew and Nora had already gone home after a full day of spending time with the couple. Snow had gone home as well to help Serah with their 3 year-old baby. Now.. it was just her and Hope relaxing in their bedroom.

"You feeling ok, Light?"

With her head leaned on the headboard, she looked up towards the silverine towering above her. "Yeah.. fine Hope," she said nonchalantly as she concentrated her attention towards the book she was reading.

"Alright. I'm going to the toilet for awhile so just call me if you need anything, ok?"

The rosette sighed. "I'll be fine, Hope. You don't need to worry about me so much you know," Lightning said as she gave a reassuring smile to her husband.

"I know, I know," he said leaning down towards his wife. "I just want to make sure, that's all." He kissed her lips for a moment, before leaning back up and planting a kiss on her forehead.

He made his way towards the toilet, occasionally stealing some glances towards the rosette relaxing on the bed. He just couldn't help but be concerned - and who could blame him? She was already so deep into her third trimester, it was just a matter of time before the baby was going to pop out.

As he opened the door to the toilet, he took one last glance at the rosette, seeing her look calm and relaxed reading that book of hers. Lightning noticed the pair of eyes staring at her, giving the silverine at the other end of the room a reassuring smile.  _I'll be fine,_ she mouthed to him.

Hope smiled back, but felt reluctant to let his wife out of his gaze. Eventually, he went into the bathroom - much to his dismay - closing the door behind him. He lazily turned on the tap, letting the water run freely into the sink. He took a little of the water into his hands, rubbing it all over his face to wash over the ever-noticeable eyebags on his visage. He was tired, exhausted, but most of all - worried. He just didn't know what to expect, and truth be told.. he was scared.

But he tossed the thought aside, instead focusing on cleaning up his dreadful looking face. He picked up his toothbrush, letting the running water cover every inch of its bristles. He squeezed the toothpaste almost haphazardly, making it overflow on the toothbrush. He was too exhausted and anxious to care anymore. He brought the toothbrush up to his mouth, beginning his usual night routine-

"Hope!"

In a flash, the silverine had tossed the toothbrush to the ground, slamming the door wide open before rushing into the bedroom. As soon as he'd heard her voice, his body and mind went into full alert mode, every fibre in his body shifting into overdrive.

Once he opened the bathroom door, he could feel the blood leaving his face upon seeing the sight in front of him. Lightning was laying upon the bed with her arms hugging her body tightly, her groans of pain sending a shiver down Hope's spine.

"Hope.. help.."

"Light!," he shouted in shock before rushing towards her side. "Light! Please, talk to me!," he said in a frantic panic as he held his wife in his arms.

"I think my..," she said before another bout of pain flashed through her body. "Ngrnnh," she groaned out in pain as she clutched her stomach with immense force. She was in agony, but she sucked it up, needing so desperately to tell Hope...

"I think my water broke."


	12. Bundle of Joy

With one hand on the wheel, his other hand was gripping his wife's hand ever so tightly. He could feel her tightening her grip on his hand, her fingers digging into his skin with each groan of pain that escaped her lips. He glanced towards the rosette for a moment, the sight of her wincing and groaning in pain as she clutched her stomach only further stressing his already anxious mind.

"Just hold on, okay Light? We're almost there."

Another groan from her lips was the only response he'd get for now.

Traffic zoomed past him, his car surely having gone over the speed limit by then. The silverine could only hope that the police wouldn't pull him over.

The minutes sitting in that car felt like an eternity for Lightning. The pain was starting to get to her mind, and it was the only thing she could feel at the moment. It was like all other feelings and sensations had been stripped away from her, and all she wanted was to make it stop.

It felt odd to her. She'd endured worse at the hands of l'Cies and gods, yet this felt like an entire level above that. Her body must've gotten soft ever since she'd arrived in this new world. All she could do at the moment was clutch onto her stomach with a force that was enough to break bones, whilst her other hand gripped onto her husband's with just about the same force.

Finally, the hospital came into view, it's signature giant red cross on the building a sight for sore eyes.

She was in and out of that car in a flash, and before she knew it, she was already being whizzed off to the maternity ward in a green-coloured hospital gown. She could hear the murmur of the doctors and nurses around her, but as the seconds went by they were quickly drowned out by the pain that was overwhelming her senses. Everything around her seemed to move in a blur, the rapid and bumpy movements of the stretcher she was currently on making her feel like hurling her recent meal.

Lightning felt disoriented, the white halls of the hospital surrounding her zooming past quickly. She felt lost, and in the commotion she'd lost track of  _him._ She lifted herself up, just barely enough to be able to turn her head around to search for him. Yet her efforts were in vain, the silverine nowhere to be seen. The sharp pain from her stomach immediately sent her back down onto the stretcher, her hands moving by themselves to clutch herself.

The blinding lights on the ceiling were irritating her eyes to no end, and she was unable to stop herself from closing them shut. All she wanted was to be anywhere but there.

But then a familiar sensation graced her fingers, one that she so desperately needed in a time like this. Just for a moment, she forced her eyes open, enough to see the person that had taken ahold of her hand. Beside her… she could see him.

There was a look of worry and concern on his visage, his bottom lip noticeably quivering in fear. But when his emerald eyes met hers, a reassuring smile flashed upon his face, even for just a moment.

"I'm here Light..," she could barely make out from the movements of his lips.

The rosette felt her husband's fingers interlace themselves with her own, her fingers instinctively wrapping around them tightly upon feeling his warm touch.

He followed her as her stretcher was pulled off into the labor room. Nurses were already there in standby mode, everready to proceed with the strenuous labor ahead.

Lightning was propped up in her bed groaning in constant pain and discomfort. She steeled herself, attempting to control her thoughts to calm the pain radiating throughout her body. But she knew that the true meat of it all was yet to start.

Hope was no stranger to labor, having done his research beforehand during the past months, and he knew all too well how long this was going to be for the both of them. He mentally sighed and took in a deep breath, steeling himself for the hours of stress that were about to come.

But he reminded himself what his brother-in-law had told him earlier in the day…

_This will all be worth it._

**_A few hours later~_ **

Lightning of all people had hoped this would be a short and quick delivery, but sometimes reality was never how they'd want it to be. She felt like she'd been pushing for hours on end, yet it still wasn't enough.

But besides the pain she was feeling, her true emotions were beginning to boil to the surface. The incessant insistence from the medical staff to push harder were starting to drive her nuts, and it took all her willpower to restrain herself from lashing out at those poor sods. Couple that with the pain, and it was a miracle she hadn't jumped out and beat them all to a pulp yet. But perhaps it was a blessing that her laborious pain was keeping her incapacitated for now.

The last thing Hope wanted was for the medical staff of all people to end up in a bloody mess. He tried to calm Lightning, but he too was feeling the brunt of her anger and discomfort. The silverine could feel his fingers being crushed by the former-soldier's deathly grip on his hand, and he swore he just heard a few bones cracking.

As his own eyes winced from the pain radiating from his fingers, he sucked in a breath of air before trying as gently and as calmly as he could to give a few words of encouragement to his wife. "You can do this, Light. Just keep pushing!"

"What the hell do you think I'm trying to do right now?!" she erupted as she gave the silverine a deathly glare.

Hope couldn't stop an unmanly squeak from escaping his lips as his wife's grip on his hand only tightened further, possibly crushing the bones in that hand.

_Dammit_ , the rosette cursed to herself. She'd felt worse pain fighting PSICOM and the wildlife of Pulse, but this was still anything but a walk in the park. Hell, she'd rather be taking on Behemoths than going through this!

Lightning let out all manners of curses under her breath before letting out another groan of pain from her lips, trying her best to restrain herself from letting loose a punch towards any of the nurses, or even worse - her husband.

During one particular brutal spasm, Hope felt a fist come into contact with his jaw, almost putting him down for the count. It was enough to put him in a daze for a few seconds, stars beginning to form in his vision. It didn't take a genius to guess who that was from, judging by the strength of that punch.  _That's gonna leave a mark.._

The silverine shook himself out of his stupor, only to see Lightning wincing in pain and gritting her teeth before another angry look flashed across her facial features. It seemed like she didn't even notice her stray punch to his face amidst all the hecticness.

He felt like he could collapse from exhaustion. But if he felt like that, then he couldn't even imagine what his wife was going through right now.

"Push! Push!"

"I'm trying goddammit!"

"You can do this, Light!"

"That's easy for you to say! You're not the one dealing with this crap!"

If this was any other sort of situation, she'd have had a little more restraint on her tongue, but now she just couldn't give less of a damn. Sure, she'd regret this once everything had come to pass, but nothing could bottle up her frustration anymore.

"Just push! Push a little bit more!" the doctor insisted.

"I'm.. trying!" Lightning tried to let out between her groans of pain.

"Come on! One more push! You're almost there!" the doctor insisted once again.

How many times had it been 'one more push'?  _Push push push push push._  That one word had been repeated so often that it had lost all meaning to Lightning.

"You can do this, Light!"

"ONE. LAST. PUSH!"

"Aaaargh!"

_Silence.._

All the screams and the shouting from the doctor had seemingly come to a halt, replaced by an eerie and deafening silence.

She swore that she could hear the heartbeats of every single person in that room. She was worried.. why was everyone so silent?

Then... she heard it.

_Waaah~_

She could feel her heartbeat increasing rapidly, the anticipation building up within her.

_Is.. is that-_

There.. in the doctor's arms, was a tiny little baby, wriggling and flailing it's little hands and legs as it let out that distinct newborn cry. It's eyes were closed shut, it's small little body covered from the blood of labor.

"Congratulations, it's a girl!"

Lightning reached out almost impatiently, as if by instinct. The doctor wasted no time obliging the new mother, placing the crying infant in the rosette's arms.

Holding her daughter in her arms like that almost felt otherworldly. She couldn't believe it… her daughter.. was right there - and she was beautiful.

Lightning brought her hand closer to her baby, still at awe at what was right there in her arms. She was almost hesitant to lay a finger on her daughter, scared that even an ounce of force would break the fragile little thing.

As gently as she could, she stroked her finger across her daughter's tiny little palm. Almost instantly, her daughter's tiny hand grasped her finger.. and it felt like everything in the world around her stopped right then. In that moment, she'd felt an unspeakable and indescribable bond form between her daughter and herself.

She'd felt this way with Serah before.. but this just felt even stronger. There was no doubt about it, she was ready to sacrifice everything - even her life - for this little girl in her arms.

Her little baby's cries had died down as soon as she felt her mother's warm touch. The rosette propped herself up in her bed, cradling her daughter close to her, letting her rhythmic heartbeats soothe the tiny person in her arms.

Lightning gently stroked her daughter's soft white skin, a feature that was still noticeable even with the blood covering her tiny body. But what'd caught her eye the most was the short strands of pink hair on her daughter's head.. and in that moment, an epiphany finally came to her mind.

"Lumina."

Hope, who'd been just as awestrucked as his wife, was taken aback for a moment at what Lightning had just said.

"Light?"

Lightning looked up to face him, her ocean blue eyes burning with certainty. "Lumina.. I want to name her Lumina."

"Lumina? As in  _that_  Lumina?"

The rosette nodded in response. She couldn't even begin to describe why she'd want to name her that. To her, that name represented the young happy girl that she once was.. before her childhood and innocence were robbed from her by the cruel truth of reality.

Lumina.. the person that had arguably troubled her the most during her time as the Savior, and also the one who'd kept her sister's soul, and now… she was permanently a part of her. That little girl was the happy and joyful Claire Farron that had been hidden away beneath the facade that was the cold and stoic Lightning. She was the light that had been locked away deep within her broken and tortured soul, and now.. that same name would become her daughter's. Her daughter would be the  _light_  to her soul..

"She.. she reminds me of her."

She wasn't ready to reveal her true reasons. For now, that was all Hope needed to know.

"Lumina.. Lumina..," the silverine said again and again, letting his lips get used to the ring of that name.

" _Lumina_  Estheim… I like the sound of that." It didn't take long before a huge grin formed on his lips.

But before he could become acquainted with his newborn daughter, a nurse appeared by his side, offering to clean and bundle up the newborn.

As the nurse's hands reached towards the infant, Lightning retracted herself as a scowl formed on her face, her motherly instincts kicking in immediately.

The nurse chuckled at the new mother's ferocious protectiveness. "Don't worry, we'll make sure she gets back to you safe and sound," the nurse said with a gentle smile.

It took a little more coaxing before the rosette finally handed her daughter over to the nurse reluctantly. Soon, the nurse was out of the door in an instant, and those few minutes waiting for the nurse to return with her daughter felt like the longest in her entire life.

Lightning gritted her teeth, her scowl from earlier still haven't leaving her face. "Where the hell is that nurse? I swear if she doesn't-"

Almost as if she'd heard her, the nurse came back in with a clean and bundled up Lumina, having done a good job in tidying her up. But the little girl was crying in the nurse's arms, wriggling and crying out for her mother's warmth.

"Here you go-"

As soon as the baby was back in her arms, the rosette retracted herself away from the nurse as she gave her another one of her signature death glares, her overprotectiveness kicking into overdrive. She hadn't felt like this since she took care of Serah all those centuries ago…

Hope rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips.

But the nurse didn't mind it one bit, instead greeting them goodbye politely before heading out of the room.

Her daughter's cries had died down as soon as she was back in her arms, just like last time.

Hope let out a sigh of relief once his newborn daughter was back with her mother, where she belonged. Now, at least the both of them were happy.

The silverine leaned down towards the baby cradled in his wife's arms, carefully running his fingers along the little person as if she would shatter like a fragile piece of glass.  _This_  was it.. that moment.

Hope brushed his fingers across his daughter's palm, and her hand wrapped around his thumb almost like a reflex. It felt too surreal.. and it was enough to get a few tears out of him.

All those months of exhaustion and anticipation had led up to this very moment.. and now that it was here - it was all worth it. He wouldn't trade this for anything else in the world.

"She's.. she's so beautiful.."

The little infant beneath his fingers started to open her eyes. This would be her first glimpse of the world she now inhabited, a world that - unbeknownst to her - her parents had fought tooth and nail for in an age lost to the annals of time.

Her eyelids slowly opened up, revealing her shining little eyes staring back at her father. She looked curiously at him, her eyes fixated on his emerald green pupils.

Hope was speechless. He couldn't believe it.. those eyes staring back at him full of wonder were green - just like his own. A few tears trickled down his cheek, a loving and warm smile forming all over his lips.

"Hey Lumina," the silverine said in a cooing tone, his voice as gentle and soft as it could be..

A soft sound came out of his daughter's lips, before her eyes closed back once more as she snuggled deeper into the warmth of her mother's arms.

Hope chuckled to himself, sniffling the few tears that had made their way down his cheeks. "Goodnight to you too, sweetheart," he said before caressing her daughter's cute little face.

Lightning smiled lovingly at the two of them before looking towards the clock hanging above them on the wall, eyes widening in surprise once she noticed it's big hand was well past the number '6'.

"I'm pretty sure it's already morning, Hope."

"It's been that long?" the silverine said in surprise.

The rosette nodded sleepily, her head already beginning to lean lopsidedly against the mattress beneath her as a yawn escaped her lips.

The brunt of her exhaustion was already starting to creep up on her, and soon, she'd be off to dreamland. But even as her body and mind began to fall asleep, her hold on her resting little infant still remained as strongly as it had been since the start. She wouldn't let her daughter out of her arms, nor her sight, and she was trying her darndest to fight off that incredible urge to sleep.

Hope noticed her reluctance to go off gently into that good night. "Light, don't worry. I'll handle it from here. You just take a good rest."

"But-"

"Light..," the silverine spoke with a stern yet loving look on his face, "..go to sleep. You're exhausted." He caressed her face, brushing aside the loose strands of hair covering her eyes. "Trust me, I'll take care of this. You can rest now."

"Hope.. I...," she trailed off sleepily before the fatigue and exhaustion finally consumed her. Her head slowly sank into the bed as she began to snore.

His lips curved into a small smile. His little daughter sleeping soundly in her mother's arms was truly a sight to see.

He leaned down towards his wife, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Light."

He couldn't resist himself from doing the same to his daughter, earning him a little sound coming out from her tiny lips. "Goodnight to you too, Lumina."

* * *

"Nrghh…"

The blinding white light irritated her to no end, and even with her eyes closed shut, it seemed to sting her. She brought her hand up to her face, shielding her delicate eyes from the light.

But it was too late to go back to sleep. Now, no thanks to the light, she was wide awake. She groggily opened her eyes, wincing a few times as her eyes adjusted once more to the bright surroundings around her.

The light rays of the early sunrise pierced through the window, bathing the room in a soothing red and orange hue.

_It's already morning..._

But something felt off… as though something was missing. She looked at her hand, and then the sudden realisation hit her like a train.

_Where's Lumina?!_

Her eyes widened in sheer panic, she could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She tried to look frantically around her, but to no avail - her daughter was nowhere in sight. She felt the panic set in, her mind frantically trying to find out where her daughter was.

_Where is she?! There's no way that-_

_Snore~_

Lightning looked to her left. There, sitting on an armchair, was her husband fast asleep along with her daughter bundled up in a pink blanket sleeping soundly in her father's arms. His head drooped to one side with one arm hanging lazily over the armrest. They looked so peaceful together, and by the looks of it, her little baby was snuggling up comfortably in the warmth of her father's arms. She only hoped his snores wouldn't wake the little girl from her slumber.

The rosette lay back down in her bed, letting out a deep sigh of relief. Her motherly instincts really were starting to take over her mind. But at least she felt relieved to know that her little Lumina was safe in Hope's arms.

All of a sudden, Hope grumbled in his sleep, tossing and turning his head to the other side. Lightning could even hear him muttering something. "Lu.. Lumina..."

Lightning chuckled to herself, finding it cute to see Hope still thinking about their newborn daughter even in his sleep. But then something had caught her attention.. something on her husband's face. Once she looked hard enough, she noticed a blue mark just beneath her husband's chin.

_Is that a bruise?_

It looked rather swollen, patches of dark purple and red already apparent on that spot under his chin. Where on Earth did he get that? Did he hit his head while she was asleep?

_Yawn~_

The silverine in the armchair stretched his free arm as he let out a big yawn from his lips. He rubbed his eyes before sinking back down into the armchair, adjusting his hold on his daughter so that she slept more comfortably in his arm. He looked down towards his daughter, a sweet and caring smile forming on his lips before he leaned down and placed a kiss on her little head of pink hair.

He looked to his right, the sight of Lightning staring back at him catching his eye.

"Good-,"  _yawn.._  "..morning Light."

"I see someone's already getting comfortable with their little girl," the rosette said, gesturing her eyes towards the little pink-haired infant in Hope's arm.

Hope smiled in return, "Yea.. I just couldn't resist holding her in my arms for a while. She looked so cute.. And when I sat down on this chair.. before I knew it I was already asleep."

"So I figure you had a good sleep then?" she asked casually as she leaned back down into her bed.

"Yeah.. perfect." His lips curved into a dreamy smile. Really, it felt so relaxing to sleep with his little daughter in his arms. "How about you? You had a good sleep, hon?"

"Yeah… slept like a baby," she said with a small smirk on her lips.

That managed to earn a little laugh from her husband. "That's good to hear."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, only the soft and faint breathing of their little daughter filling the air. The silverine took a glance at Lumina, the little girl still sleeping soundly in his arm, as if nothing could ever wake her up from her deep slumber. He sighed, taking in the beauty of his baby girl.

"She looks just like you..," he said as he gently ran his finger across the little girl's forehead, tracing it along her short strands of pink hair dotting her little head.

"Really now?"

"Yea.. I mean she has your rose-coloured hair. And she even has your nose." It was almost unexplainable how much his daughter looked like Lightning. He couldn't really describe it - she just  _did._

"But she has your eyes."

He chuckled. "Yeah, she does." At least one of his traits made its way to his daughter.

He looked at his daughter starry-eyed, his emerald eyes glistening with the tears of his unbridled joy. She was perfect.. so so  _perfect_. She was his life, his love, his  _everything._ She was just born a few hours ago, yet he felt a bond that ran so deep within him it almost made him feel like he'd known this little girl his entire life. He'd do anything for her, and he swore he would protect his daughter with his life if need be - that he was sure of.

"I love her so much, Light." His voice noticeably broke at the mention of those words.

Her husband's heartfelt joy was contagious.. and it seemed that even a few teardrops were trickling down her own cheeks as well. Even now, it seemed almost unbelievable that she was a parent.. a mother.

Hope got up from his seat, taking care not to wake the sleeping baby as he did so. Walking over to the rosette's bed, he placed the little bundle of joy back in her mother's arms.

He leaned down, gently kissing the top of his daughter's head before softly whispering into her ear, "I love you, Lumina."

After that, he brought the chair over to Lightning's bedside, letting him admire his little girl as she slept peacefully in his wife's arms. They sat there together in contempt and peaceful silence, letting themselves to digest and grasp the reality that they were now in - that they were parents..

"Hope…" The rosette's voice pierced through the silence that had enveloped them.

"Hmm..?" Hope pried his eyes away from the sleeping infant in his wife's arms, turning his gaze up towards the rosette. There was a curious yet concerned look in her blue eyes.

"Did you hit your head while I was asleep?"

"W-what?"

Lightning brought her free hand towards the silverine's face, rubbing the dark purple spot under his chin. "You've got a bruise under here. How did you get that?"

"A bruise under my chin? What-"

Now he remembered. A stray punch from his wife had socked him right under his jaw, and he guessed that the bruise had formed during his sleep.

"Hehe…" He let out an awkward laugh, feeling apprehensive to tell his wife the truth.

"Hope?"

How was he supposed to tell her this? "Well.. funny story about that. You see.."

He looked back towards Lightning, one of her eyebrows raised in a look of confusion.

"How do I even say this? Umm-"

"Just say it, Hope."

He sighed in defeat, having to give in to his wife's unrelenting curiosity. He just hoped she wouldn't feel bad about it. "You punched me when you were still in labor. But it's okay now, the pain's mostly gone away." He tried his best to sugarcoat it, but really the bruise still felt like it was throbbing.

But the rosette didn't respond, only caressing his bruised chin as a look of regret flashed across her face. A sigh escaped her lips, her eyes darting back and forth from his eyes to that horrible mark under his jaw.

"Sorry about that. Once we get home, I'll make sure I get that fixed up."

The silverine took hold of her hand roaming across his chin, interlacing his fingers with hers. "Hey.. don't be sorry. It was an accident, and besides..," his lips curved into a smirk, "I think it was worth it."

"What?" A puzzled look formed on the rosette's face. "You're telling me that you getting punched right in the jaw was  _worth_   _it_?"

Hope nodded as he brought the rosette's hand to caress his face. "Yeah, because in the end, we finally have  _her._ " His eyes looked downwards towards the baby resting in Lightning's arm, his smirk forming into a wide-eyed grin.

She guessed he was  _somewhat_ right. But did he  _really_  need to get punched in the face for this? She would've been much happier had it been one of those pesky nurses that had gotten the fist to the jaw.

"Pfft.. you and your weird reasonings, Hope," she said, letting out a little laugh from her lips. She leaned in closer to his face, wiping that huge grin of his with a kiss.

Their sweet kiss was interrupted by the soft whimpers of the baby just beneath their faces. Her little arms and legs wriggled about in her blanket, her head moving around as her eyes began to slowly open.

"I think she's finally waking up.." Lightning said as she gently stroked her daughter's head.

_Knock knock~_

Hope sighed. "I'll go get it.."

He reluctantly walked over to the door, wondering who was on the other side. It surely wasn't his parents, since they'd only be arriving later in the day, so that only left…

"Lil' bro!"

Before Hope even had enough time to think, he'd already been pulled into a hug by Snow's bear arms.

"Congratulations!," he said patting the silverine's back, his face instantly lighting up as he saw the little girl resting in Lightning's arms. "Now what did I tell you? It was all worth it, right?"

"Yeah..," Hope let out a chuckle as he returned the hug, "..you were right."

"I told you so- wait.. Is that a bruise on your chin?"

Hope rolled his eyes, letting out a less than audible sigh from his lips. "I'll tell you all about it some other time, Snow."

Not long after, Serah appeared through the door, carrying her 2 year-old son in her arms.

"Hey sis-"

The look on her sister's face was absolutely priceless. As soon as she'd laid eyes on the little infant in Lightning's arms, her eyes had already widened in surprise.

"Claire, she looks just like you!"

Lightning let out a small laugh at her sister's squeal of delight. So Hope really wasn't the only one who thought that. Oh, she was going to hear that phrase a whole lot more as the day went on, that she knew.

The couple along with their little boy practically ogled at the tiny girl in her arms. This little girl was now a new member of a growing family that she'd never have expected to have in her life - a family that included Snow of all people, much to her past self's refusal. Funny, never in her life had she imagined having a child with anyone - no less Hope - and yet.. here she was with her own baby in her arms. Life in this new world really had been nothing like she'd imagined.

She smiled at the couple, happy to see them so overjoyed at her newborn daughter. But then it dawned on her - they were just the first guests of the day.. Soon there'd be Fang and Vanille, Hope's parents, Sazh…

_Today's going to be a looong day…_


	13. A Parent's Burden

The evening sun was already starting to dip below the horizon, the sky already beginning to take on a red-orange hue. Their car finally arrived in front of their humble abode, with a silent sigh escaping the rosette's lips. Her time at the hospital coupled with the amount of people coming to visit her to see their newborn baby had really tired her out. She even remembered dozing off a couple of times while some of her friends were still visiting her.

All she really wanted was a few moments of peace to herself and maybe, just maybe, coming home might put her tired mind at ease. But even then, as she constantly reminded herself amidst the exhaustion, her little daughter was finally here.. and she couldn't be any happier.

And besides, she had Hope around. How hard could taking care of a baby really be? She'd taken care of Serah before, but now that she thought about it.. maybe a baby wasn't the same as a 7 to 8 year-old child like Serah was.

_Click~_

The car door beside her opened up. Hope stood above her, an exhausted but happy smile evident on his lips. He extended his hand out to her, helping her out of the car seat.

Lumina was still bundled up in her pink blanket, resting in her mother's arms. But this time a little beanie was adorned on her tiny head, a protective measure by Hope to keep her warm from the cold.

They walked into their house, letting that air of familiarity and peace wash over them. It had only been a day.. but it felt so good to be home. And now… they were back with a new addition to the family.

"You want something to eat Light?" the silverine asked as he closed the door behind him.

No response. Instead, her gaze was still fixated on the sleeping infant in her arms. Watching her little chest rise up and down as she slept peacefully was cathartic to her. But she knew, deep down in her heart, the dark truth that if that little girl's breathing stopped even for just a moment.. then..

"Light.."

"Wh-What?" She shook her head, lost in her thoughts for a moment.

Hope wore a concerned look on his face. He knew something was up from that look on his wife's face just a few seconds ago. The silverine approached her, gently placing both arms on her shoulders. His emerald green eyes peered deeply into her blue ones, trying his best to read her.

"Light, honey. What's wrong? Is there something bothering you?"

"N-no.. nothing's wrong. I'm just.. exhausted. That's all."

That was a lie. That one little grim thought had managed to break open the floodgates that had been holding back her doubts and fears after all this time. Now, she couldn't stop her mind from thinking of the worst scenarios and the what ifs that could happen to her little daughter. She was nervous, scared.. she didn't know if she was even ready. It was crazy how one little idea could cause all her insecurities and fears to surface so quickly…

"Light."

Her eyes focused again to the silverine in front of her, his eyes now peering deeply into her with an even more concerned look than before.

"Please.. tell me what's wrong." He leaned his forehead against hers, taking care not to wake the baby in her arms.

She sighed deeply. As much as she hated to admit it.. he needed to know. The only way this would work was by telling him everything.

"I'm.. nervous."

"Nervous? About..," his eyes looked downwards towards his daughter cradled in Lightning's arms, "..her?"

The rosette nodded faintly. "I.. I don't know Hope. I feel so.. so worried. What if something happens to her while I'm not looking? What if she justs stops-"

Her words were cut off as she felt a finger on her lips. She looked up to face him, his eyes wearing a look of deep empathy.

"I understand.."

He knew what she was about to say before then.. but he didn't want to hear it. He couldn't bear to even imagine it.

"It won't come to that, Light. We have each other, and we're going to do our best to protect her, ok?"

The rosette nodded weakly before resting her head on his shoulder. He ran his fingers along her pink hair, hoping it would soothe her strained mind.

Why was she even thinking these thoughts? She cursed herself, cursing her weakness, her insecurities, her doubts. The old Lightning would never have been so pessimistic and scared like this! Something really had changed inside of her these past few months...

Or perhaps it was just the exhaustion and this new feeling of motherhood that was causing her to think this way.. Yeah, that had to be it...

"Come on, why not I go get you something to eat?"

"No..," she replied as she let out a yawn from her lips, "..I think I want to go to bed now."

His lips curved into a gentle smile. "Alright. Let's go then."

They made their way up to the bedroom. It almost felt like a lifetime ago since they'd last been there.. before it all happened.

Lightning made her way to the bed, lying down and leaning her back against the headboard of the bed. Her eyes were glued to the baby girl resting in her arms, and she felt like it was impossible for her to turn her gaze anywhere else. She observed every single breath and movement that the girl made. Her paranoia and protectiveness really was starting to feel like it was bordering insanity...

But the exhaustion was already starting to creep up on her, and her eyes were starting to feel heavy. She really was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep now.. she needed to look after her daughter.

"Light, why don't we put her in the cradle for tonight?"

Lightning sleepily looked up to see Hope with a sweet smile on his face. Maybe he was right… maybe the cradle would be much more comfortable for her daughter. Besides, her arms were getting limp from holding her for so long.

"Okay..," she sighed, "I guess you're right."

But before that, she and Hope tried their best to change Lumina into a little moogle onesie, the same one that Fang and Vanille had gifted to them. Thankfully, the girl only let out a few soft whimpers as they took away the pink blanket she was wrapped up in. With a new diaper and a comfy onesie, the girl was back in her mother's arms once again, sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened.

With her daughter in hand, she made her way to the nursery room along with her husband.

A flick of a switch was all it took for the entire room to light up, revealing a room which was decorated from top to bottom with floral and rose decorations, along with some moogle patterns here and there. The both of them had meticulously decorated every inch of this room in preparation for their little girl - and now that she was here, it felt like a dream.

Just near the entrance to the room was a cradle, one that Hope had bought and built himself during the months before this. Hanging above the cradle was a mobile which had small little moogles attached to it - courtesy of Vanille and her handiwork.

Lightning approached the cradle, but stopped just short of putting her little girl down on the soft moogle-patterned mattress. Her eyes darted back and forth from the cradle to her little daughter, her mind yet undecided.

To leave her daughter here.. alone.. while she slept.. There were so many things that could go wrong -  _would_  go wrong - if she left her baby girl alone in this room all by herself. There was no way she would do this..

The rosette immediately retracted her baby back into her arms. "Hope… I can't do this."

"Light?" A puzzled look formed on his face, a little confused by his wife's reaction.

She avoided his gaze, her eyes still fixated to the cradle and her daughter. "I don't want to leave her alone here, Hope.."

A sympathetic look graced his facial features. He thought for a moment, trying to figure out something that he could say to calm her wife down.

He couldn't help but share the same sentiment that his wife had. Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave her here after all...

"Well.. we don't  _have_ to do that, y'know."

The silverine inched closer to her, brushing his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to calm her.

"I don't want to leave our little girl alone here too, Light. Thinking about it now.. there's no telling what could happen to her while we're away, even if it was just for a few seconds."

Lightning turned to look at him, her face looking more at ease and calm after his explanation. She felt relieved to know he shared the same thoughts as her.

"So what do you propose.. Hope?"

The silverine gave her a reassuring smile upon hearing her question. "I can move the cradle into our room. That way, it'll be much easier for us to look after Lumina."

"That's.. that's a good idea," she said with a sincere smile to her lips.

Now that sounded better. This way, the both of them could monitor their baby without having to run around between their rooms. Much easier for her body.. and for her state of mind. She felt a little bit more at ease with this new idea.

The silverine approached her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You go rest with her in the room for awhile. I'll be back with this cradle in no time."

"Thank you," she whispered, leaning in to give him a short but sweet kiss on the lips.

She walked back to their bedroom, leaving Hope alone in the nursery to carry the cradle into their room. He looked around the pink-laden room that he stood in for a moment, taking it all in. But one particular detail caught his eye; a Carbuncle doll sitting neatly on one of the shelves full of baby books. His lips curved into a smile, remembering that day when Fang and Vanille came by just to gift them the doll. They truly were lucky to have friends like them..

"Right..," he said, remembering what he was supposed to do. "Let's get this thing over there.."

In the other room, Lightning continued to cradle her daughter in her arms, her eyes not leaving the sight of her for even a second. She gently took off the little beanie on Lumina's forehead, revealing her head of tiny strands of pink hair. Her fingers moved by themselves to stroke the soft strands of hair dotting the little girl's head.

"I love you so much.."

"Hrngh.."

Hope struggled as he attempted to get through the doorway, trying his best not to wake up his daughter because of any sudden sounds. As gently as he could, he placed down the cradle beside Lightning's side of the bed, allowing her easy access and monitoring to the baby.

With that settled, Lightning slowly laid down the little infant in her arms onto the soft mattress of the cradle, making sure not to wake her up. But as soon as the warmth of her hands left the little girl, a whimper came out of her tiny lips.

" _Guh_ ~"

Another whimper followed, and soon, the little girl was wriggling around in the mattress as a loud cry emanated from her lips.

" _Waah~"_

Lightning quickly cradled the baby back into her arms, pulling her close to her chest.

"Shh.. it's okay. Mommy's here, Lumina. Mommy's here," the rosette said in a soothing voice, whispering softly into her daughter's ear as she gently rubbed the little girl's body.

As he sat there on the other side of the bed, Hope couldn't help but wear a loving smile.  _And she thought she was going to be a bad mother…_

As the rosette rocked the baby cradled in her arms, her cries had begun to die down considerably. Soon, the baby was back in her slumber, resting peacefully in the warmth of her mother's arms.

 _She must've felt scared when I let go of her_ , the rosette hypothesised.

Now this was going to be a problem… As much as she loved holding Lumina close to her, she needed some rest as well, and she didn't have the energy to hold her while she slept. She could even smother the little girl if she turned the wrong way.

"Light, why don't you go to sleep. I'll handle Lumina."

She turned towards her husband. "But Hope-"

"Sweetie.. it's okay." He crawled over the bed towards Lightning, bridging the gap between them. "We can take turns watching Lumina. I'll do it first."

One part of her wanted to say no, yet another was screaming to go to sleep. In the end, she decided it was no use to argue with Hope now.

"Alright.." she sighed, a heavy tone of exhaustion apparent in her voice.

The silverine extended his arms out to hold the baby, but for a split second it seemed as though Lightning was hesitant to hand over the baby to him.

She shook her head, coming back to her senses. She promptly placed the baby gently in his arms. Her motherly instincts - or rather her protectiveness, really was going through the roof.

The little rosette whimpered for a moment as the warmth of her mother left her body, but she soon became accustomed to her father's arms.

The silverine held her in his arms for awhile, rocking her as he tried to lull the little girl into a deep sleep.

"Shh~ It's time to go to sleep, okay Lumina?," he whispered softly as he placed a little kiss on the girl's forehead.

Once he saw the little girl slowly close her eyes, he knew for sure that she was asleep. "Good girl.."

Hope slowly placed the baby back down in the cradle, taking a chair so that he could sit right beside it.

As he slowly pulled his hands away from the baby girl, she began to whimper again, her eyes scrunching and her little hands turning about in her sleep.

Hope immediately acted, placing his hand to gently caress and stroke the little girl's head.

"Shh~ it's okay Lumina. Daddy's here.. daddy's here.."

And just like that, the little girl began to stop whimpering as she fell back into a deep sleep.

"Phew..," he sighed in relief.  _Crisis averted.._

Lightning looked towards the two of them from the bed, her head resting on her pillow. It felt good to see Hope handling the situation so well, but she so desperately wanted to be there taking care of her baby. But her fatigue and exhaustion were getting the better of her as her eyes began to slowly get heavier and heavier. Before she knew it, she was already asleep.

Hope could feel his eyes getting heavy as well. Today had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was to lie down on his soft mattress and sleep. As much as he tried to fight off that urge, he felt it overwhelming him, and soon.. he was fast asleep as well.

….

" _Waaaah! Waaah!"_

He didn't know how long he'd been sleeping, but he instantly got up as soon as he heard those cries. He stumbled for a moment, almost falling off from his chair that he'd been sitting on. He sat upright so fast he thought he could've gotten whiplash.

Even Lightning was up in an instant, but she too was also stumbling about, a mild panic ensuing between the both of them. She rushed to the cradle, almost bumping into Hope on the way.

She reached down and held Lumina in her hands, not even leaving any time for Hope to even react. She rocked the baby in her arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. But it didn't seem to quell the cries that were continuing to come out from her lips.

"Shh~ it's okay Lumina. Mommy's right here. Shh~"

No use. She was still crying uncontrollably. Lightning tried pacing around the room, rocking her baby to help calm her down, but still to no avail.

"Lumina, mommy's here okay. Don't cry.. please don't cry.."

Her vain attempts at calming her baby down were fruitless. She continued to pace around the room trying to soothe the baby in her arms as Hope sat helplessly in his chair, still too disoriented and hazy to even think of anything.

There had to be a reason why Lumina was crying like this. She tried her best amidst the exhaustion and grogginess in her head to mentally do a checklist.  _Okay, diaper doesn't feel soiled. She doesn't appear to be hurt.. then-_

It finally came to her. How could she have not known? Her baby was hungry! It was so obvious!

"You must be hungry, honey. Shh~ it's okay," she said in a cooing tone, rocking the crying baby in her arms. "Mommy's gonna feed you honey.. don't worry."

Lightning sat herself down on the bed before loosening one side of her shirt, exposing her chest. She brought her daughter closer to her chest, just like she'd done at the hospital, and soon her daughter began to latch onto her nipple. As quickly as that, her baby was silent, suckling contentedly on her mother's nipple. Lumina's body appeared to relax against her own as her cheeks continued to move about once she to be nursed.

"There you go..," the rosette said in a soothing voice. She sighed internally, thankful that her baby wasn't crying anymore.

Hope on the other hand sat there speechless and amazed. His wife really was meant for this…

He sat beside the rosette, slinging one arm around her shoulders. Lightning leaned her head on his shoulder in turn, closing her eyes as she continued to breastfeed her daughter. A content sigh escaped her lips.

The silverine turned his gaze towards his daughter suckling her milk happily. It truly was a magical sight to see.. mother and daughter, bonding together. They really were a family..

"Hey, Hope…" the rosette chimed in, a slight grogginess to her voice.

"What's up, Light?"

"I think-," a yawn escaped her lips, "..I think I'll be taking over watch now."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded in response. "You have work tomorrow Hope. I don't want you getting sleep depraved."

 _Ah crap… work_. He'd forgotten all about it these past few days what with being so caught up with Lightning's pregnancy, her daughter..

An audible sigh escaped his lips. "Right.. work.. yeah.." A disappointed frown flashed across his facial features.

"Something wrong Hope?"

Another sigh escaped his lips. "Yea.. I just.. don't feel like leaving you two so soon, ya know?"

"Leaving?," she chuckled. "Hope, you're just going to work for half a day. It's not like you're leaving us for a week or something."

"Well.. yeah… But I don't want to leave you two. I want to stay here and take care of the both of you," he said with an obvious tone of disappointment to his voice.

"That's really sweet of you Hope. But I think I can handle it from-"

"Wait!," he shot up enthusiastically, "What if I work from home? That way I can do my Academy work  _and_ look after you two!" His face had practically lit up like a light bulb.

"Hope you can't be serious.."

"I'm sure I can pull some strings here and there, get myself to work from home. I'm sure my coworkers won't mind if their director was gone for a week or two-"

His rambling was stopped by a finger to his lips. His wife wore a serious look on her face.

"Hope, are you sure about this?"

He paused for a moment, taking a few seconds to look at his wife and the little girl being breastfed contentedly on his wife's chest.

"I'm sure about this Light. The Academy can handle itself for a few weeks while I'm 'gone'. And I want to be here, for the both of you."

A loving smile curved on her pink lips. She was convinced - not that she really needed any convincing in her husband's 'plan' in the first place.

He continued on with a fiery determination to his voice, "I promised you and my parents that I would  _never_  put my career over my family - and I intend to keep that promise."

 _He still remembers that.._  She felt touched to know that he still remembered that promise even after all this time.

"Thank you..," she whispered under her breath before promptly placing a sweet kiss on her husband's lips.

They sat there together in a peaceful silence, only the sounds of the crickets outside and their soft breaths filling the air. The rosette snuggled her head on her husband's shoulder, closing her eyes as she rested while her baby continued to be breastfed. Hope brushed his fingers up and down the rosette's arm, stealing some glances at the mother and daughter every few seconds.

_Gosh, how did I get so lucky?_

Not long after, the rosette woke up from her half-nap, looking down towards Lumina. She appeared to have slowed down her suckling, her hands even slowly opening and relaxing themselves against her chest. She could tell and feel that the little girl had already unlatched her mouth from her nipple.

"I guess you're done, aren't you Lumina?"

Lightning slowly and gently pulled away the infant from her chest, and true enough, Lumina was already fast asleep.

"She looks so peaceful..," the silverine commented, softly brushing the few strands of pink hair on his daughter's head.

"Yea..," Lightning said with a small smile on her lips, "Let's just hope she stays that way until morning comes."

She placed the infant on her shoulder, gently tapping her back. After a few gentle taps, her baby began to let out a few burps.  _Just like Serah said.._

After that, Lightning placed her baby girl back in the cradle, placing a delicate and sweet kiss on the girl's nose.

"Goodnight, Lumina."

This time, the girl didn't even flinch or whimper when Lightning retracted her hands away from her. It looked like she was already deep in her slumber.

"Well..," said the silverine as he placed a hand on Lightning's shoulder, "..looks like she really is asleep now."

"Yeah.. I guess that means we hopefully won't have to be worried about her crying anymore tonight.."

Hope admired the sight of the baby girl sleeping soundly in her cradle. She really did look like an angel when she wasn't crying. He leaned down into the cradle, kissing the top of his daughter's forehead before brushing his nose lightly against his daughter's own tiny little nose.

"Sweet dreams, sweetheart."

" _Guh_ ~" the little girl squeaked sleepily, causing Hope and Lightning to chuckle between themselves. Their daughter really was an angel while asleep..

With that, Hope went back to bed, but not before turning on the baby mobile hanging on the cradle. The small little moogles danced around playfully as the mobile turned and spun slowly, playing a gentle and melodic tune of a lullaby.

He joined Lightning in bed, cuddling up to her as the both of them faced the baby cradle. Hope wrapped his arms around the rosette's stomach, burying his nose in her pink-rosy hair. The rosette in turn intertwined her fingers with her husband's, feeling him breathe a deep sigh in her hair from behind.

"Goodnight honey.."

"You too, sweetie.."

The morning after, the rosette woke up to find Hope still cuddled up to her. He really was taking the whole 'working at home' thing seriously..

Now, what Lightning expected from a baby was constant cries and diaper changing. But what she didn't expect was how much they slept. Throughout the entire day, her daughter seemed to do the same three things; eat, sleep and poop - well, mostly sleeping really.

With Hope around to help her, changing diapers and cleaning the house was so much easier than she'd been expecting. Whenever she was breastfeeding her daughter, Hope would be by her side on the couch, typing away on his laptop as he kept her company.

And so, this seemed to be their daily routine for the next few days. She had to admit, having Hope around really was better, and she did adore his company.

All was fine and dandy in the day, with the occasional crying here and there, but it was manageable.

However, the nights.. the nights were never as forgiving as the day. Some nights their daughter would be screaming and having a crying fit. Nights like those were the toughest, and it was truly a mentally straining experience to keep up with their daughter.

But the moments after when everything had died down, when their daughter was finally asleep, sometimes with her sleeping on either her daddy or her mommy's chest, were some of the best moments of the day. They'd looked at each other, exhausted yet loving smiles on their faces - satisfied with themselves for having gone through another day in this new and exciting experience.

Nobody ever said being a parent was easy.. but with the two of them having each other's backs, they were sure they could get through anything.


	14. Snippets of A Usual Day

The biohazard in his hand was beginning to foul up the room, but at this rate, he'd gotten so used to the smell that it didn't even phase him anymore.

With a simple tap of his foot, the small bin's lid popped open, and down went the first pair of soiled diapers for the day. Now that that was out of the way, he could focus on the matter at hand.

"Baby powder?"

"Right, baby powder coming right up."

He didn't even need to see where it was, his hand already having the muscle-memory to know just where that bottle was on the table.

With the bottle in hand, she generously sprinkled that soothing white powder, making sure it covered every inch of skin.

"Diapers?"

She heard the sounds of a new bag of diapers being torn open behind her. Had they really gone through so many of those things? Sooner or later their supply was going to run dry again..

"Fresh pair of diapers right here."

With little to no fuss, she expertly fitted on that diaper, her hands moving swiftly to make sure it was placed comfortably. The hundreds of times doing this before had no doubt gotten her all too good at doing this. Heck, if diaper-changing was a sport, they'd both be the winning team in efficiency and speed.

"And now.. one comfortable and happy little baby."

The little rose-haired infant giggled about on the table, feeling a little wee bit ticklish from all the diaper-changing.

"Phew…" The silverine wiped away an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow.

Today had been one of the good days. There were times when their little girl was fussy and stubborn whenever it came to changing diapers. But thankfully today was not one of those days.

And thank goodness their little girl was in a particularly good mood today. It was hard for them not to giggle along with the little infant.

"Looks like someone's bubbly today," the rosette said with a little chuckle as she brought her hands to cradle the infant.

The little girl giggled even more as her father peppered her face with a barrage of kisses.

"Mwaah~" One final kiss on the nose, and the little girl was bubbling with laughter. Hope couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"You sure love kisses from Daddy, don't you Lumina?," the silverine chuckled as he continued to plant more kisses all over the little girl's face.

Even Lightning couldn't help herself from placing a few kisses here and there on the little girl.

" _Mwaah, mwaah, mwaah~_ "

Hearing that little girl laugh was almost.. magical, to say the least. One little giggle from that girl and all the worries of their lives had disappeared. As their laughter echoed throughout the household, it was as if all the burdens and stresses of the usual day had washed away from their minds.

* * *

"Come on honey, you can do it."

" _Bah guh_!"

Her little girl had graduated from crawling, and now she was taking her first steps, or at least that was what Lightning was trying to get her to do.

She held Lumina's hands, holding her up as she tried to get her to stand on her two feet. She inched backwards ever so slowly, gently guiding the little girl to walk over to her with her support.

But alas, it didn't take long for the girl to fall back down to her bosom, even with Lightning trying her best to hold her up.

Lightning sighed, "Guess you're taking your sweet time doing this aren't you?"

The little girl only giggled to herself, bringing her thumb to her lips and sucking on it profusely.

The rosette picked the girl up, placing her on her shoulder before heading over to the kitchen. By the looks of the clock, it was afternoon, and that meant only one thing - lunch time. Or in other words.. one of the most aggravating parts of the day.

She sat the girl in the baby chair, going over to the kitchen counter and preparing the usual baby food.  _'Alright,'_ she thought to herself,  _'maybe let's try doing the airplane today? Yeah.. that'll work.'_

She could already hear the banging of the baby chair, no doubt Lumina starting to get rowdy sitting in that thing. With the baby food prepared in a little bowl, now was the time to get it inside the little girl. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

"Alright, Lumina. It's lunchtime."

Lightning scooped up a spoonful of the brown goopy stuff and brought it over to her daughter's lips. And just as she'd expected, her daughter pursed her lips before turning her head away in disgust.

 _Sigh.._  She knew this would happen.

"Come on Lumina, it's yummy!" Heck, she hoped it was.

She tried bringing it over to her lips once again, but just like last time, she avoided it.

_'Alright, time for the airplane..'_

She mimicked the sound of an airplane, even extending her arms like wings just to get her daughter to eat her damned food. It was a good thing Hope wasn't around to see her, or else he'd be teasing her about this all day long..

Lumina's face seemed to light up with curiosity a little, her emerald green eyes sparkling at the sight of her mother putting on an exciting show.

"Here comes the airplane!"

The 'airplane' came closer to her, eventually reaching her mouth. But as soon as it did, she kept turning her head away from the spoon and even began to push it away from her face.

In the end, all it did was cause her to fling the spoon from her mother's hand, the brown goop falling right on her hair.

Lightning took in a deep breath before letting out a big sigh. "Alright Lightning.. just stay calm," she muttered to herself as she took the icky spoon off her ruined hair.

She heard the giggles of the girl beside her, turning around to see her laughing in delight at her mother's 'misfortune'.

"So you think this is funny, huh?"

By the looks of that bubbly face of hers, it seemed like she did. Well, at least her baby was happy.

 _"Sigh…_  Better a laughing baby than a crying one.."

If only Hope was here to help her. He was always the better one at doing this.. Too bad he was off at work, which Lightning had insisted he'd do after spending too many months staying at home helping her. She was starting to realise how much help he was now that she needed him...

She sighed, thinking up of another way to get her daughter to eat her lunch.  _Hmm…_ Then, it was like a light bulb lit up in her head.

"Now you just stay here." The rosette made sure that her baby girl had no way of getting out of that chair before disappearing out of the kitchen.

Lumina looked on curiously, wondering where her mother had gone. But before long, her mother was back in the kitchen. Her green little eyes were practically glued to the object in her mother's hand.

" _Buh!"_

Lumina extended her arms, trying to reach out towards the doll held in Lightning's hands. It was none other than her Carbuncle doll, the doll that she loved like no other. The girl couldn't even sleep without it.

But instead of giving it to her, Lightning placed the doll on the countertop. The girl stared on in avid curiosity.

"Now, Lumina. Carbuncle here's gonna eat her food. Isn't that right, Carbuncle?"

With her hand behind the doll's neck, she made it nod its head up and down in agreement.

"Mhmm.." she said in an imitation of a puppeteer's voice, or at least she tried to.

But even with her subpar attempt, it was enough to get her daughter's attention. She brought a spoonful of baby food to the doll's mouth, sliding it past a side of the doll that made it seem like it had eaten it.

"Mmm, yummy!" She moved the doll's head up and down again, this time even more vigorously.

That'd got her. Lumina was now eager to try some of that brown goop, especially after seeing her best friend enjoying the taste of it. She reached out, as if gesturing her mother to feed her the baby food.

"Yes!" Hook, line and sinker! She couldn't believe that it actually worked...

Without skipping a beat, she brought the spoonful of baby food to her daughter's mouth. And this time, she finally allowed it to enter into her mouth as she happily gobbled it up.

"Finally.." That was lunchtime done for the day…

After her daughter had her fill of brown goopy baby food, Lightning brought her over to the nursery room. Now it was time to get back to training her to walk.

"Small steps honey, small steps."

The first thing she tried to do was to hold Lumina's hands as she stepped backward, guiding her to herself. And that bore some mild success.

But now it was time to see if she could do it on her own.

"Alright, Lumina. Just walk to mommy okay?"

She sat a few metres away from the girl, cooing to get her to walk towards her direction. At first, Lumina sat there a little confused, just like any baby would be. But with enough encouragement, she slowly began to stand up, taking small steps towards her mother.

Lightning couldn't stop a proud smile from forming on her face. "Come on Lumina, you can do it!"

But after just 2 steps forward, the girl fell back down. It seemed that she did that on purpose, because just after falling back down the little girl crawled over to her beloved Carbuncle doll.

Perhaps she was just too distracted right now to care.. Oh well, they had all the time in the world to train her to walk anyway.

"Alright Lumina.." Lightning let out a sigh before a small smile appeared on her lips. "We'll have it your way. We'll try some other time to get you to walk."

She glanced at the clock.  _'4 o'clock already.. It should be time for her nap.'_

But Lumina was still up and about, crawling here and there as she played with her toys sprawled all over the nursery floor.

_'Eh.. she'll tire out eventually..'_

And true to her word, the little girl let out a yawn after her bout of hyperactivity for a solid 10 minutes. She began to rub her eyes before another yawn escaped her lips.

"Alright honey, it's time for your nap."

Lightning approached her, and the little girl was already extending her arms out, wanting so eagerly for her mother to carry her off to the living room to sleep. It was her favourite place to nap, oddly enough, and not the special cradle they'd made in the nursery room.  _Sigh.._   _Baby's are weird…_

The rosette carried her baby girl into the living room, placing her down onto the soft little mattress laid out across the floor. She tucked her girl into the blankets, placing a kiss on her forehead.

" _Buh!"_

"Sweet dreams, honey." She planted another kiss on her daughter's cheek.

" _Guh!"_

A puzzled look flashed across Lightning's face. It didn't seem like her daughter wanted more kisses from mommy.. so what was she trying to tell her?

" _Bah guh!"_  Her little hands stretched out from the blanket, pointing towards a certain direction.

"You want something, honey?"

" _Buh!_ "

She tried piecing the puzzles in her head.  _Okay.. there has to be something missing.._   _wait-_

"Her doll," she said under her breath upon her realisation. "You want your doll, Lumina?"

_"Bah guh!"_

"Okay, sweetie. Mommy will get it for you."

She rushed to the nursery room, taking the doll into her hands and then went back to the living room. Her girl was already reaching out to the doll once she saw it in her hand.

Lightning tucked Carbuncle into the blankets with her daughter, and without skipping a beat Lumina was cuddling the doll like her life depended on it - well, her nap depended on it really.

"Alright, now you can have your nap."

It didn't take long for Lumina to fall into a deep sleep. Lightning leaned back against the couch, watching her girl sleeping peacefully.

She breathed out a satisfied sigh from her lips. "Another day.. completed."

….

_Click~ Cachink~_

The rosette groggily opened her eyes as her lips let out a wide yawn. The clicks of the door locks had awakened her from her short nap.

But it didn't take long before her eyes widened once she realised something was off. ' _Lumina…'_

The girl was nowhere to be seen on her mattress. Only her Carbuncle doll was there in the blankets..

 _'Crap, not again...'_  She was starting to realise that Lumina had a habit of going missing whenever she dozed off..

She turned her head in all manner of directions, trying to find that little girl. She wasn't anywhere in the immediate living room area.. that was until she looked over the couch.

There on the floor heading towards the front door, was Lumina Estheim, crawling. Hope was at the door with his signature Academy jacket on, and it seemed that he hadn't noticed his daughter crawling towards him on the floor.

_"Bah guh!"_

He stopped short of hanging his jacket on the coat rack, his eyes turning towards the source of that heart-melting sound.

"Lumina!" His eyes practically lit up like fireworks at the sight of his daughter. She was a sight for a pair of sore eyes that had endured a day of stress.

He kneeled down onto the floor, extending his arms out to greet the crawling baby.

But then.. Lumina stopped her crawling midway. Instead, she was now trying to get onto her two feet. She struggled for a bit, but after regaining her balance, she waddled her way towards Hope with a big bubbly smile all over her face.

"Oh my gosh! L-Lumina.. you're walking!" He hadn't expected this when he opened the front door.

Lightning was right there on the couch, watching all of this happen. She hastily took out her phone from her pocket before taking a video of the special moment.

"Come on, sweetheart. Come to daddy!"

His words of encouragement had fueled her determination to continue walking towards him. With each step she took, she wobbled for a bit, but that didn't stop her from trying her darndest to walk towards her father.

"Yes! You're doing good Lumina! Come to daddy, you can do it!," the silverine eagerly said as he extended his arms further.

Once she finally reached her daddy, she happily plopped down into his arms before he got up and spun her in the air. He peppered her face with kisses, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

"I'm so proud of you Lumina!" he exclaimed in joy between his kisses.

He heard a sigh coming from behind him. He turned around, greeted by the sight of Lightning chuckling with a smile on her face.

"Y'know, I've been trying all day to get her to walk by herself. Nothing worked, but then it seems all she really needed was  _you._ "

"I'm sure she couldn't have done this without your help, Light."

She gave him a sweet smile in return as she walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

He breathed out a deep sigh, having longed to feel his wife's embrace after a tiring day at work. But then he noticed a few brown spots between her strands of pink hair. He knew that texture and smell from anywhere…

"Is.. is that baby food in your hair?"

Lightning sighed. She'd forgotten all about it, and she was sure it was only going to be harder to remove after leaving it for so long to harden up in her delicate hair.

"Don't ask."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, chuckling as he did so.

"Don't worry, I won't ask what happened," he said with a cheeky smile. "But I do have another question though."

"And what is that, Mr. Estheim?"

"Did you miss me?"

Lightning shook her head. She should've expected something as corny as that from him. She pulled him by his blue tie, pressing her lips into his.

"Does that answer your question?," she asked as she separated from his lips.

A wide grin formed on his lips. "Plenty." He pulled her back in, still not having enough of her.

" _Gah!"_

Hope felt a tiny hand pressed against his cheek. He broke away from his wife's lips as Lumina kept on pressing her little hand into his face.

He chuckled. "You want kisses too, sweetheart?"

 _Mwaah~_  He gave her a big kiss on the cheek, earning him a giggle from her lips. Lightning joined in as well, placing a big kiss on the little rosette's cheek.

The little rosette's parents planted their sweet kisses all over her cheeks from both sides, causing her to bubble up with laughter.

After finishing her barrage of kisses, Lightning rested her head back onto the silverine's shoulder.

"I forgot to ask, how was work today?"

"Oh… nothing as good as this, that's for sure."

* * *

"This is a cow. Cows go  _moo_."

" _Ah?"_

"Moo.  _Mooo._ "

"Ah!" The little girl eagerly pointed at the picture of the cow on the book.

"Yes, good girl!" The silverine ruffled his daughter's pink hair.

"Now, what is this one?"

" _Buh?_ "

"This is a cat. Cats go meow."

"Ah!"

"Meow, Lumina.  _Meoow._ "

" _Bah!_ "

Lightning watched on in delight at the father and daughter bonding with each other. But she had something better in mind that they could teach their little girl...

"Hope, why don't we teach her something else?"

She sat down just across from him on the nursery room floor.

"Something else? Like what?"

"Y'know.. saying mommy or daddy."

A devious grin formed on his lips. "How much do you wanna bet that she'll say daddy first?"

She knew where he was going with this. "Oh-ho.. we'll see Hope."

Lightning scooted herself closer to the baby girl sitting in Hope's lap.

"Lumina, say mommy. Mom-my."

"Bah?"

"Mom-my.  _Mommy._ "

She looked up towards her husband, seeing him wear a cheeky little smile on his face. She flicked the top of his nose, hoping to wipe that smirk off of his lips.

"Why don't I try this time?" He carried Lumina and placed her in her mother's lap.

"Okay, Lumina. I want you to say daddy. Dad-dy."

The girl only gave a puzzled look at the silverine. "Bah?"

"No," he chuckled. "Daddy.  _Dad-dy."_

"Bah!"

Hope let out a chuckle."I guess we both lost this time."

"Maybe she just needs to get used to it. She'll say it eventually," the rosette said as she patted the little girl's fluffy head of hair.

"Yeah, we'll have to wait and find out."

And so throughout the next few days, the two of them would do everything they could to say those two words: mommy and daddy. Whether it be during lunchtime, naptime or bathtime, they'd say those two words over and over and over again. They knew Lumina would say her first words soon, but it was now a matter of which of the two would be the first word to come out of her mouth.

But eventually, as the days went by, they'd lost their drive to compete against one another to see which word Lumina would say first - especially tonight...

Her mouth widened up into a big yawn as her eyes began to get heavy. As her mother sang a lullaby to her delicate ears, she couldn't stop another yawn from escaping her lips. She could feel the warm hand of her father stroking her head ever so gently as he placed a few kisses on her head of pink hair.

"Shh.. go to sleep, Lumina," he whispered into her ear.

After an hour of crying and wailing, they'd finally managed to calm down the little girl. They whispered more sweet nothings into her ear and placed more kisses, hoping to lull the baby into a deep sleep.

They brought her over to the cradle, placing her gently onto the soft moogle-patterned mattress.

Lumina was certainly falling into a deep sleep as she let out another yawn. Lightning placed her beloved Carbuncle doll right beside her, tucking it in with her.

"Goodnight, sweetie," she said softly, leaning down to give her a kiss. "Mommy, loves you."

"Ma.. mama."

As she dozed off into a deep slumber, her parents stood there, wide eyed and surprised.

Hope's mouth was still wide open in sheer surprise. "Did.. did she just say that?"

"I think she did.."

"Well," he said with a chuckle, wrapping an arm around the rosette's shoulders. "I guess you win this time, Light."

She leaned into him. "Oh... I'm sure she'll say daddy or dada soon enough."

And that she did, although.. not at the most appropriate of times really..

Hope had just had an entire bowl of green baby food splatter all over his face. His silver locks were covered in the goop, and he totally reeked of the stuff.

He could hear his daughter laughing in delight, no doubt at the mess she'd made on her father.

"Dada!," the mischievous little girl said between her giggles.

His apparent annoyance at the mishap seemed to disappear almost immediately once he heard her.

Now, he was absolutely gobsmacked. "W-wait, did you just say dada?"

"Dada!" she happily exclaimed once again, this time laughing even louder than before. A cheeky little girl like her no doubt found it funny to see her father covered in the stuff she was supposed to eat.

"Light! She said dada!" He was almost jumping up and down in joy.

She took a wet napkin, walking over to her husband to wipe the green goop out of his silver strands of hair as she shook her head.

She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the silverine being so overjoyed at their little girl finally saying her second word - even with the dirty, ruined hair and all.

"We really need to teach her something else now."

"And what could that be?" the silverine asked as he stood still while Lightning wiped the baby food off of his hair.

"To stop throwing her food at her parents."


	15. Sick Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you guys weren't expecting an update! Well, here it is! But.. this isn't exactly a continuation from where I've left this story hanging. Instead, it's kinda something I wrote that takes place waaaay after that last chapter. Some background on this chapter before we go in, its centered primarily around Lumina who's already grown up by now (11 years old or so) and she has a little brother now that goes by the name of HJ (you can guess what that stands for). This is incomplete since I also left this one hanging (I blame my chronic procrastination on that) months ago. Anyway, enjoy! And sorry for the long hiatus..

The little rosette skipped down the stairwell, making her way down to the kitchen with her signature purple hoodie and pink backpack. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she did a final twirl on the staircase finial as her mini skirt danced in the air.

She could already hear the sizzling of the kitchen stove and the smell of eggs and bacon from the kitchen, feeling her mouth watering with appetite.

"Morning mom! Morning dad!" She quickly sat down by the dining table, waiting patiently for her breakfast to be served.

"Morning Lumina," she heard her mom say as she continued to cook her meal.

"Morning sweetheart." Her dad wore that same loving smile he'd give her and HJ every single morning. He was typing away at his laptop with his big, nerdy glasses on his face. She thought he looked better without it..

"Hey, where's HJ?" her mom asked as she placed a plate of a sunnyside egg and strips of bacon right in front of Lumina.

"I dunno.." the little girl trailed as her eyes continued to be fixated towards the scrumptious display of food in front of her.

"He must be sleeping," she heard her father chime in through the clicking and crunching of the laptop.

" _Sigh.._  he must've been staying up past bedtime then.." her mom said with a rub of her temples. "Lumina, be a good girl and go wake him up please?"

And she was  _just_ about to get ready to dig in, knife and fork already in her hands to tear the delicious food apart and stuff it into her mouth.

"But the food will get cold.." she said with pleading little eyes.

"Tsk.. it won't take  _that_ long Lumina. Now go up, I'll heat up your food if it gets cold," she reasoned with the little girl as she ruffled her hair.

"Fine…" With a little huff, she got off her seat and walked out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.

"Dammit HJ!," she grumbled to herself, "Why am I the one that  _always_  has to wake you up. It's not my fault you slept late!  _Ugh!_ When I get there I am so going to smack you!"

She stomped her way to her little brother's bedroom door, the posters of comic book superheroes and villains adorning its rectangular shape. She knocked on the door with all her might, ignoring the fact that her force might break it down.

"HJ! Wake up!" she shouted.

No response.

"HJ, wake up or I swear I will come in there and pour cold water all over your face!"

Her blood was boiling by this point. Each second she wasted here trying to wake him up was a second not spent eating her mom's delicious cooking downstairs.  _Dammit, what a crappy start to a Monday morning…_

After a full minute of silence, she decided enough was enough. Since the door wasn't locked, she barged in, slamming the door wide open to get that little buffoon up and awake.

"Rise and shine, lil' bro!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Pitch black darkness surrounded the room, with only the light seeping in from the doorway dimly illuminating a small part of the room. The curtains weren't drawn, and she could make out that a blanket was draped all over HJ, covering him entirely.

The little rosette audibly let out an exasperated groan. "C'mon HJ! It's already morning!," she groaned and groaned as she walked over to her little brother's bed.

"It's time.." she grabbed the ends of the blanket, "..to WAKE UP!" She yanked it with all her might, throwing it into the air with all her frustration and annoyance.

But what she saw beneath the blanket had been the opposite of what she'd been expecting all this while.

"H-HJ.."

Her little brother was curled up in a fetal position, arms hugging his knees. He was noticeably shivering, and even in the low-light of the room she could see the paleness in his face. The pillow beneath him looked damp and soaked, and his eyes were swelling with tears.

"HJ, are you okay?" she said with a soft voice as she knelt down beside his bed.

He let out a soft groan as he continued to shiver even more. Lumina could hear his teeth chattering even harder than before as he curled up even tighter into a ball.

The rosette placed a gentle hand on his forehead. She gasped, feeling the burning heat from his forehead. This was hot..  _really_ hot! This had to be a fever!

"Y-you're sick.." she squeaked in a sympathetic voice.

She felt guilty for barging in like that now. If only she'd known he was sick.. then she wouldn't have been as harsh as she was..

She heard another helpless whimper escape his lips, and she felt heartbroken to see her little brother in so much pain.

"Shh~ I'll go call mommy, alright HJ? I'll be back soon," she said with a gentle stroke of his hair.

She ran out of the room with utmost haste, making her way down the stairs before finally reaching the kitchen.

"Mom! Mom!"

"Why are you shouting?" her mom groaned as she saw the little girl burst into the kitchen. "And where's HJ?"

"H-HJ's sick!"

Her annoyed look had morphed into one full of concern and worry. She took a glance at her husband, seeing him wear the same worried look that she must've had at the moment.

"I'll go get the thermometer," he said getting off his seat and walking out of the kitchen.

….

_Beep beep beep beep beep~_

She heard her father let out a deep sigh, seeing the thermometer glow brightly with those dreadful red-coloured numbers blinking in its display.

"How much is it?"

"Forty-degrees celsius…"

"Crap.."

He rubbed his temple, "Yeah.."

The two of them remained in silence as they eyed their little boy. The elder rosette ran a hand over HJ's forehead, hearing the soft whimper that came out of his lips.

"Shh~ it's okay honey, mommy's here," she whispered into his ear as she gently stroked his silver hair.

"Is.. is he gonna be okay?" she heard her daughter ask. She looked over towards the little rosette, seeing her peeking her head in from behind the door.

"He'll be fine, we just need to send him to the doctor and get some meds," she said as she gave her a reassuring smile. "In the meantime, you should get going to school, honey."

She felt her husband beside her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can, and once I'm home we'll go bring HJ to the clinic," he whispered into her ear.

"Alright, I'll be sponging him until then," she whispered quietly as she gave him a kiss back. "Just drive carefully, you hear me?"

He chuckled lightly, finding it cute that she'd think he'd do otherwise. "Of course, Light." He gave her one final kiss on the lips before inching on his knees towards his son.

"I'll be back soon, okay HJ? Daddy'll bring you to the doctor and you'll be fine," he whispered softly into his ear as he gave him a kiss on the forehead. He heard him respond back with a helpless little whimper, which frankly managed to break his heart. He absolutely hated seeing any of his two children get sick like this...

"Right..," he announced as he got up to his feet, "..time to get going to school honeybun." His voice didn't sound as chipper as it normally did...

He walked over to his daughter standing by the doorway, taking her hand into his as he led her down the staircase.

"B-but what about HJ?" he heard her squeak. "Shouldn't I stay to help mommy?"

He tried his best to suppress his chuckles. "Oh don't worry honeybun, mommy will be fine taking care of HJ. She's got this all under control," he said with a reassuring smile to his lips.

Lumina still didn't seem to be all too convinced, judging by that doubtful pout starting to form on her lips.

"Hey, you can help mommy take care of HJ once you come home from school. Does that sound good?"

Her mood had gone from zero to hundred in an instant, with a big smile forming all over her pink lips. "Yea!" she beamed with her emerald eyes glistening back at his own.

Hope chuckled at his daughter's childish enthusiasm as he patted her pink hair. "That's a good girl. Now you take care of your lil' bro  _real_  well once you come home, alright sweetie? With your help, he'll get much better in no time."

"Alright daddy!," she said with a voice full of her burning conviction.

As the day passed and the classes dragged on, the time finally came to go back home. She walked out the class, waved everybody goodbye like usual and made her way to the exit.

At the front entrance of her school, she saw a familiar face, one she'd seen almost everyday of her life but one that she'd never get tired of seeing.

"How's HJ doing? I heard he's got a fever.."

"Yea, we went to the clinic just a few hours ago," the silverine sighed as he subconsciously scratched his head. "Doctor said he'll be fine, but he'll have to stay home for a few days till the sickness goes away.."

"Aunt Serah!"

The rosette turned around, a smile quickly forming on her previously somber and concerned lips once she spotted her favourite little niece running towards her.

"Lumina!"

It wasn't like they hadn't seen each other for months or years, but still, a familiar face like hers was one that she'd welcome with open arms and a beaming smile anytime of the day.

Lumina leapt into her aunt's arms, feeling herself being pulled into a smothering hug as she felt her aunt's hands ruffling through her pink locks.

"So good to see you Lumina!" she smiled as she slowly pulled away from the hug, resting both of her hands on the little girl's shoulders.

Lumina giggled back like her usual joyful self. The excitement and joy of school finally ending for the day was pretty apparent on her face.

Serah's face quickly morphed into a look of concern and seriousness. "I heard your little brother is sick..."

She saw Lumina's face taking on a serious and sympathetic look as well. She sighed, her eyes getting a little droopy once she remembered HJ's condition. "Yeah.. he's sick. His temperature was forty-degrees…"

"Oh my! That's quite high!" she gasped in feigned surprise. In truth, she'd known that fact ever since her sister had texted her right after breakfast.. "I hope he gets well soon.."

Her niece's eyes instantly lit up as if an epiphany had formed in her young mind. "Oh he will! Cause I'm gonna go help mommy make HJ better once I get home! And then he'll get better more sooner! "

"Aww my gosh, that's so sweet of you!" she cooed as she pulled her niece into yet another hug. "You're such a good big sister Lumina! I'm sure mommy and HJ will appreciate your help so much!" She heard her niece giggle with childish appreciation at her sweet encouragements.

She saw Hope standing there with a proud grin plastered all over his face. He was obviously very proud of her daughter's tenacity and loving attitude.

"How did you do it?" she mouthed silently at him. How  _did_  he get his children to be so close and caring to each other..? She'd only ever seen such sibling love between her and Lightning…

"It was Light.." he mouthed back at her with a wink.

That figures… Of course she'd be the one to emphasise the power of sibling love to her children.  _Sigh.._  It was just like how they used to be back when they were kids and how they were now, even after literally thousands of years..

Serah slowly pulled away from the hug, patting her niece's shoulder as she gave her a proud smile. "Now you go home and take  _good_ care of your little brother, alright Lumina?"

"Alright!" she beamed cheerily.

Lumina went over to her dad as he took her hand into his before walking towards their car. "Bye Aunt Serah!"

"Bye Lumina!," she waved back at her. "I'll make sure to drop by when I can today to visit HJ."

Hope gave her a smile in return. "Thanks Serah. It means a lot to us!"

He suddenly felt a tug at his shirt sleeve. Looking down, he saw his daughter with a curious look on his face.

"What did the doctor say daddy? Is HJ gonna be okay?"

The silverine chuckled as he ruffled her pink hair. "The doctor said that it's just a regular fever. But it is a  _high_ one, that's for sure."

He heard her gasp. "Oh no, is that bad?"

"No no, it's nothing to worry about. It just means that he'll have to stay home a lil' bit longer until he gets well."

"Oh.. so he can skip school for a few days?"

He chuckled. "I wouldn't call it 'skipping' school if it was for a good reason, honey."

"Pfft.. then I wish I was sick.." she muttered humorously under her breath.

"What was that?" she heard him ask with a puzzled look on his face.

"N-nothing," she quickly shrugged. "Well c'mon dad, let's hurry up and get back home!" she urged as she tugged as his arm to move faster.

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, "Let's get going then."

…..

"Put on this mask."

She stared at the green facemask that'd been plopped right into her hands, eyeing it intently. Was HJ really  _that_ sick, or were her parents just a little too paranoid?

"Wait, why do I have to wear a mask?" she asked as she bobbed her head on one side with a puzzled look plastered all over her face.

"HJ's got a viral fever according to the doctor. So that means it might be contagious, and me and mommy don't want you getting sick," her dad answered back with a sympathetic smile on his lips.

She knew enough from her science classes to understand the danger of the word 'viral'. Once that virus was in her, it would attack her immune system and soon she'd get sick as well. Damn.. was it that bad?

"Wait.." she spoke, "Why aren't you wearing a mask then? Won't you get infected as well then?"

"That's a really good question, Lumina. Why  _am_ I not wearing a mask?" he chuckled as he ran his fingers through his daughter's hair. "Well, it's because I have a stronger immune system than you. My immune system is strong enough to handle and kill the virus if it ever enters my body and it'll hopefully stop the virus before it starts to infect me," he answered with a pat of her head.

"Hmm.." It sounded about right.. Adults having much stronger immune systems than children, it checked out, as far as she was concerned at least.

Without any delay, she placed the mask firmly on her face, squeezing it tightly on the bridge of her nose before she tied the strings into a neat knot at the back of her head.

"Alright, I'm ready!" She felt like a surgeon, getting ready to operate on her next patient in the operating room!

"Okay, sweetheart. Let's go."

Hope slowly creaked open HJ's bedroom door, revealing a dimly-lit room with only the faint silhouette of his wife by his son's bed being visible. She looked like she was just getting ready to place a new wet towel on HJ's forehead.

Once she heard the creaking of the door, Lightning turned her head to see who it was. Her eyes widened in surprise as a puzzled look formed on her face.

"Why are you wearing a mask, Lumina?" she asked a little surprised as she placed the damp towel on HJ's forehead.

"Daddy said I had to," Lumina answered nonchalantly with a muffled voice as she made her way to HJ's bed.

Lightning looked up towards her husband, shaking her head as she gave him that why-am-I-not-surprised look.

"It's extra protection!" he whispered softly as he tried to convince her.

She snorted lightly. "Yeah yeah.. whatever."

He made his way to his son's bed, running his hand through his forehead and hair to get a feel of his temperature.

"How is he right now?" he asked with a deep seriousness to his voice. His eyes darted back and forth between HJ's forehead and the rest of his body.

"Temperature's gone down to thirty-nine degrees. It's not much, but it's an improvement nonetheless," she sighed as she glanced sympathetically at HJ's weak body.

"I'm sure it'll go down further by the end of the day," he reassured her. "As for now, you've got a new pair of hands to help take care of him."

She cocked her eyebrows. "You're staying home?"

"No.. over there." He pointed at the little rosette.

"Wait.." she turned to look at Lumina who was sitting right beside HJ's bed, eyeing him intently with concerned eyes. "She's helping me?"

"Yeah," he nodded with a smile. "She was the one who offered to help."

Her eyes only seemed to widen with each revelation from her husband. "Really now? Huh, how sweet of her."

She observed her daughter closely, seeing her look on at her little brother with an expression of empathy and concern deep within her emerald eyes. She found it so endearing of her to volunteer to help her take care of HJ.  _And to think she hated him once…_

"Alright, I'll be going now." He planted a kiss on his wife's lips and his daughter's cheeks before finally kissing the top of HJ's forehead, whispering sweet words of love and encouragement into his ear as he stroked his hair.

"Stay strong, HJ. Your mom and sister are gonna take care of you, and you'll get better in no time.." he whispered softly, "..I promise." HJ squeaked faintly in response as he snuggled his head into the palm of his hand, causing a loving smile to curve on his lips.

After that, with all his reluctance, he left his family to go back to the Academy. If only he could be there to take care of HJ along with Lumina and Lightning… But duty calls, as always…

"Alright, Lumina," the elder rosette, said placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "You wanna help take care of HJ, right?"

She nodded fervently as she looked back at her mom. "Yeah!" she whispered with all her brimming exuberance.

"Okay, come here." She gestured her to come closer towards the basin of water placed beside HJ's bed containing soaked towels. She took one of the towels, wringing it profusely before handing one over to Lumina.

"We need to sponge him alot in order to lower down his temperature. So I need you to sponge his chest and neck, okay sweetie?"

"Okay!" she said with an air of seriousness to her voice.

Lightning chuckled internally as a little grin broke on her lips. Her daughter really was taking this super seriously.. It almost reminded her of the times back when Serah and her were kids.. back when mom would ask her to take care of a sick Serah.  _Good times…_

Lumina began to lift up HJ's damp shirt, no doubt wet from all the sponging that her mom had done before this. She could see him noticeably shivering and even whimpering once she started to expose his chest. She felt a pang of sympathy stabbing through her heart. But she needed to do this.. for his sake.

She tried her best to ignore his soft whimpers as she slowly began to place the sponge on his reddened chest. Once the wet towel came into contact with his skin, his shivering seemed to amplify to a thousand, and his back arched noticeably in a lot of discomfort.

"No.. no.. cold.." he whimpered profusely.

"Shh~ I'm sorry HJ, but I have to do this.." she whispered through her mask as she gently stroked his hair.

" _Ughh~_ " he turned and groaned.

She continued to sponge him, making sure the damp towel wiped and cooled every single inch of his skin. Eventually, HJ's groans had died down, and all that was left was his soft breathing. His eyes were still closed, probably too weak and tired out from the fever to even open them she hypothesised.

Lightning watched as Lumina went on to sponge her little brother's neck. Throughout it all, she couldn't help but wear one of the biggest and proudest smiles she'd ever had lately.  _She's a natural…_

"Y'know Lumina, this really reminds me of the time  _I_ had to take care of your dad when he had a fever."

The little rosette's eyebrows seemed to cock in a look of curiosity just as she was about to place another damp towel around HJ's neck. "You took care of dad when he was sick?"

"Mhmm, that I did. He was almost like how HJ is right now, but I'd say just a tad bit worse.." she sighed, both in reminiscence and in gratefulness for the end of that horrible nightmare.

"So daddy had a way worse fever than HJ does right now?" she heard her daughter ask with more curiosity building up in her voice.

"Yeah.. way worse. Even Aunt Vanille had to help take care of him," she said with a little smile curving on her lips.

"Woah wait, Aunt Vanille was there?" She was starting to get a little confused trying to piece the puzzles of her mom's story together…

"Yeah, heck everyone was there; Uncle Snow, Sazh, Aunt Fang.." She chuckled once she saw the puzzled yet amazed look on Lumina's face.

"W-what? Really?"

She almost felt like snorting, "And we were in a jungle full of monsters as well. So that sort of made things ten times worse for your dad.."

"Now you're just lying mommy.." the little girl said with a doubtful glare at her mom.

Lightning was sure she was giving her a pout under that mask of hers.. Of course she'd think it was pure nonsense and hogwash. Heck, she'd think so too if she wasn't the one that went through it all.  _What a crazy life I've been through..._

The elder rosette felt a smirk curve on her lips. She ruffled her daughter's pink hair, "Well, you can go ask daddy or even Aunt Vanille, and they'll tell you that it's all true."

_Alright.. I'll keep that in mind_ , the little girl made a mental note to herself. As for now, she focused her attention back to sponging her little brother.

_Ding dong~_

Lightning heard the faint ringing of the bells from downstairs. Someone was at the door..

"Lumina, take care of HJ while I'm gone. I need to go down to see who it is."

"Alright mom." She felt her cheek being smooched before hearing the door creak open and close behind her. Now, it was just her and HJ.

Her emerald eyes were fixated on the sick boy lying in bed in front of her. She inched herself much closer towards the bed frame, leaning her body against the wall adjacent to the bed. The sight of her silver-haired brother sleeping peacefully felt almost cathartic. She brushed the wet strands of his silver hair covering his closed eyes. His breath felt hot to her skin, no doubt the fever was still burning up his insides…

She leaned her head against the edge of his pillow, feeling the warmth of his head radiate towards her.

HJ's eyelids slowly began to flutter open, revealing a pair of blue orbs looking distraught and disoriented. Her emerald eyes stared back, peering into his little blue ones.

"M.. mom?"

Lumina felt a giggle bubbling from her lips. She gently lowered the mask from her face, revealing the smile that had been hidden all this time.

"No dummy," she giggled, "It's me, Lumina."

"M-mom? Mom?"

He must've been too disoriented from the fever. It didn't seem like he'd heard her, and he was clearly confused and scared. He seemed to toss and turn as he tried to get up from the bed.

"Shh~ It's okay HJ. I'm here, big sis is here."

She placed a kiss on his forehead, hoping that it would calm his disoriented mind. By this point, she'd forgotten about the whole protective measure that was her mask as it lay hanging there on her neck.

HJ's soft whimpers seemed to die down once Lumina continued to stroke his hair. " _Shh~_  It's alright HJ. Mom's downstairs.. okay?"

Eventually, his blue eyes finally locked on to hers, their previous look of disorientation and confusion slowly disappearing, instead replaced by a look of curiosity.

"L-Lumina?" he squeaked through his hoarse and feverish voice, "W-When did you get here?"

"Over an hour ago," she giggled as she shook her head. She took off the towel covering his eyes before putting it back into the basin of water to soak.

"Oh.. I.. I didn't notice." Each word that came out of his mouth sounded as coarse as sandpaper. "W-where's mom?"

"I told you she was downstairs silly," she sighed as she wringed the towel from the basin, putting it back on his forehead.

She could see his blue eyes staring back at her as she brushed away the wet strands of his hair starting to cover his eyes. She gave him a gentle smile in return. "Go back to sleep HJ, you need to rest."

"But... I'm... not.." His words seemed to come out slowly, and before long Lumina could already hear the gentle snores emanating from him.

- _Sleepy…_ "You totally are..," she whispered with a smug smile.

She leaned back down onto the side of the pillow, bringing her forehead to touch his.

" _You always looks so cute when you're asleep.."_  she whispered to herself as she ran her delicate fingers through his damp hair.

She was starting to wonder where mom had gone. It felt like she'd been gone for an hour or something..

Her emerald eyes met the sight of the digital thermometer on the dresser right in front of HJ's bed. The rose-haired girl got up to her feet before taking the electronic thermometer into her hands.

She lifted the edges of the towel on HJ's neck before aiming the straight little line of red-light onto it. She pressed the trigger..

_Beep beep beep beep~_

"Thirty-eight point nine.." It was an improvement, but still high. Hopefully he'd be in the low thirty-eights by the end of the day..

Time seemed to past almost seamlessly in that room - or maybe that was just the boredom of taking care of HJ with nothing much to do other than sponging and keeping an eye on him.

She finally took off the mask that'd been dangling from her neck for quite some time now, tossing it aside to some corner of the room. Ah, that felt much better without that string irritating her neck.. She slouched back into the side of the bed, boredom quickly taking its toll on her.

"Co..Cold.."

His hoarse voice cutting through the silence had put her into attention, lighting up her bored eyes. Lumina could notice that he was shivering, even though he was already wrapped up in his blanket.

"Cold…" he whimpered again.

She inched her face closer to his. "HJ, you're cold?"

His eyes barely opened for a few seconds as he nodded his head. "C-c-cold.." he chattered through his teeth as his hands went to huddle his knees closer to his chest.

Well, she couldn't take off the towels from him or that would just prevent his temperature from going down, and it wasn't like they had any blankets to wrap over him…

"I'm.. c-cold.. Please…"

"Umm.."

She looked around, trying to find a solution to solve HJ's coldness when suddenly an idea came to mind.

"Ah, I know!"

She lifted the blanket, slowly climbing up onto the bed. HJ didn't seem to mind in the slightest that she was starting to take up some space in the bed. She huddled up beside him as she draped the blankets over herself.

After wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and back, Lumina gently pulled HJ closer until he was snuggled up close to her chest. She could feel his silver hair tickling her nose and his high body heat beginning to warm her own body. Her mom would do this to her once in a while whenever she'd gotten down with the cold - much to her dad's protests about getting infected of course.

"Are you warm now HJ?" she spoke into his thick bunch of silver hair.

"Y-yea…" he said weakly as he snuggled up further into the folds of his sister's pink hoodie.

He looked just like he did back when he crawled up into her bed when he had a nightmare all those months ago…

His chattering and shivering had slowed down to a halt. She ran her fingers through his silver hair, soothing him into a deep sleep so that he could rest much more easily.

She brushed up his hair, placing a kiss on a spot on his forehead which hadn't been covered by the wet towel.

Before long, her eyes were starting to feel heavy as well. Mom still wasn't back from wherever the heck she'd gone off to.. so perhaps she wouldn't mind if she took a little nap. She  _was_  taking care of HJ in a way…

She heard his muffled whimpers coming from below her. He must've been having a fever dream. Ugh, she always hated having those nightmarish sort of dreams…

"Shh~ HJ, it's okay. Big sis is here…"

This was.. comfortable, and the sound of his soft breathing was lulling her to sleep.. She could just snooze off right here...

_Zzz.._

"So Lumina's taking care of HJ right now?"

"Mhmm, should be in there sponging and keeping an eye on his temperature."

"Aww," she cooed, "That's so sweet of her!"

As they reached the end of the hallway, Lightning pressed down on the door handle, slowly opening the bedroom door. She'd expected to see Lumina sponging HJ or even just slumping down next to the bed in boredom. But what she saw was entirely out of her field of imagination...

"Oh my god!" She could hear Serah squealing like a little girl. "They're so cuuute!"

Serah's eyes were practically sparkling and her heart felt like fluttering at the oh-so adorable sight. Lumina was snuggled up with her little brother, hugging him so tightly in her sleep that she looked like she was starting to smother him. Oh the cuteness!

"If only Austin and Rosa were like this.."

On the other hand, Lightning didn't mean  _this_  when she told her little sister that Lumina was taking care of HJ. Heck, this was entirely the opposite of what Lumina was supposed to be doing! She was going to get sick at this rate!

"Dammit, I need to wake her up before she gets infected.." she sighed as she shook her head in a mixed feeling of frustration and surprise.

Before she could step into the room, she felt her sister's hand lightly gripping her shoulder. "C'mon sis, I think we should just leave them like this, dontcha think?"

"But-"

"Sis, it'll be fine. I'm sure of it," Serah said trying to convince her older sister. It didn't help that she was putting on that big, googly-eyed look to persuade her… "And don't you think they look so adorable like that?"

"Pfft.. You're not the one that has to take care of her when she gets sick…" And no doubt she would.

"But.." The elder rosette's eyes took another glance at the display in front of her. Her son looked so peaceful snuggling up with his sister in their shared blanket, and Lumina seemed to be just as comfortable. Heck, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to let them be..

Lightning let out a sigh of defeat as she crossed her arms. "Fine.. I guess I'll leave them like this.."

"I knew you'd come around! Now c'mon, let's go make some porridge for HJ."

"It'll be for the both of them once Lumina eventually gets infected..." Lightning sighed as she shook her head. But what could she do? It wasn't everyday that her daughter would show this much care to her little brother. Well, she could let it pass for now..

…..

"Ughh.. mom~"

Now, she was spoon feeding porridge to two mouths rather than one. She knew this would happen. Just her luck that her compassion would end up getting her daughter sick.  _I'm getting too soft.._

"That's what happens when you take off your mask and sleep with your sick little brother.." Lightning chided as she wiped the bits of porridge lining her pink-haired daughter's lips.

She turned her head towards her little sister feeding HJ some porridge as the boy sat quietly on the bed beside Lumina. That apologetic and sheepish smile on Serah's lips was evidence enough for her to know that she too realised how much this had backfired on them.

Lightning sighed as she scooped another spoonful of hot porridge before glaring daggers at her little sister. "I shouldn't have listened to you.."

"Heheh.. sorry sis," she squeaked as she continued to feed HJ more porridge.

"So does that mean I don't have to go to school tomorrow?" the little rosette suddenly spoke up with a raspy voice.

Lightning felt like banging her head against the wall. Instead of one, she had  _two_ sick children to take care of. "Yes..," she sighed, "That means you don't have to go to school tomorrow.."

"Yay!" Lumina hadn't lost her energy just yet, especially when she'd just raised her hands in celebration of her exemption from school for tomorrow.

HJ, with his scruffy hair and reddened face, perked up when he heard that. "Lumina's not gonna go to school tomorrow?"

"But.." Lightning spoke up with a new-founded sternness to her voice. That 'but' cut through the Lumina's joyful glee like a hot knife through butter. "If you get better by tonight, then you'll still be going to school tomorrow.."

"What?! Noooo~" Lumina's face scrunched at the thought of having to go back to that dreaded place. "But I don't wanna go to school mom~"

"Lumina.."

As the two rosettes continued to have their back and forth on the prospects of the younger one going to school, Serah giggled to herself. Dejà vu.. It was like seeing mom and her big sister back during her childhood right in front of her eyes. She let out a content chuckle from her lips. Who'd have known that things would turn out this way for the both of them.


End file.
